Dance with Me
by Jae Potter
Summary: AU. Hermione finds herself spending summer alone when she runs into Seamus Finnegan. In the Burrow, Harry tries to figure out his feelings for Ginny while pondering Hermione's absence. Set in the summer before 7th year. [HxHr] RxR!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Can you believe it? I have the first chapter up already! I was so excited to start this new fic that I just kept on typing and before I knew it, I had the first chapter all written!_

_Anyway, just a few things: this fic is a bit AU. I'll be following the events after HBP for a bit, but eventually, this fic will take a course on its own, so if you're going to flame me about the characters being OOC and what not, save your breath. It's AU. Although it's only slight, it's still AU._

_Second: Although I may seem like I'm turning this fic into a Seamus/Hermione pairing, fear not my fellow Harry/Hermione readers! This _IS _a Harry/Hermione fic, and therefore, H/Hr will end up together one way or another. They just need to sort stuff out for themselves._

_Lastly: I'm still looking for a beta-reader. So if you're interested, e-mail me or send me a message. Either way, I'll respond back to you as soon as possible._

_Now sit back, relax and enjoy!_

--

**Dance with Me**

**Chapter 1**

Hermione Granger sighed and gazed out at the window in her room for the umpteenth time since she picked up her book. She was currently attempting to read a novel, but she couldn't concentrate on it, no matter how hard she tried.

She looked back at the book in disdain. For someone who loves books, she found it annoying that she couldn't even concentrate on a silly little novel. Hermione closed the book, deciding to go back on it later, and instead focused on what was causing her lack of concentration.

_Is it because of the summer days? _She thought, then crossed it out almost immediately. At 17, Hermione felt that she needed to explore her options as a muggle, and found herself a job as a waitress in a local restaurant. She found the restaurant accidentally, when she woke up one day to find a wonderful sunny day and couldn't pass the opportunity to use it to her advantage. She had been walking aimlessly, when suddenly the air was filled with delicious food being cooked that Hermione couldn't resist and subconsciously followed the smell, eventually leading her to a restaurant called Open House.

Upon entering the restaurant, Hermione immediately fell in love it. The friendly atmosphere, along with the scent of mouth-watering delicacies that the place had to offer was enough for her to become a regular customer. It didn't take long for the manager, Nancy, to offer her a waitress job.

"It's only for the summer love. But if you'd like, you can keep the job for as long as you like," she had said. Hermione's eyes lit up.

"I'd love to work for you Nancy," was her reply. And that was the start of her summer.

_Is it because there's nothing to do? _She thought, and crossed the thought as well. Working as a waitress, although part-time, made her plans for the summer quite full. When she wasn't working at the Open House, she was in her parents' dental office, being a secretary/assistant. The little free time she had, she would spend it by reading a book.

_It's because you're not spending your summer with Harry and Ron, _her inner voice taunted. Hermione closed her eyes shut and willed her inner voice to go away.

Hermione stood up, feeling the world crumble at her thoughts. She needed to get out. Looking herself at the mirror to see if she was decent, she grabbed her keys, placed them in her purse, wrote a quick note to her parents telling that she was out for a walk, grabbed Crookshanks, and decided to go for a walk with him.

Feeling the soft breeze on her face, Hermione instantly felt herself relax. But she still couldn't get the thoughts out of her mind. To her horror, she found her eyes welling up with tears. Hermione stared at the sky, pinching the bridge of her nose and willing her tears to go away.

_Take a deep breath Hermione and stop thinking about it,_ she thought. She hastily wiped away the stray tear that managed to fall down her cheek.

Still, she couldn't help but miss her best friends.

_I wonder if they miss me, _She thought. Hermione found herself unwillingly replaying the moment in her mind when she had her last encounter with Ginny Weasley.

_Flashback_

_"Hermione wait," a voice called out to her. Hermione turned to find Ginny running towards her. After telling her parents to go ahead, she waited for the youngest Weasley to catch up to her._

_"What's wrong Ginny?" she asked when Ginny caught up to her. Hermione thought the girl seemed nervous, but she can also feel a bit of hostility from her. She wondered for a bit if that hostility was directed at her._

_"I need a favor," she said. Hermione said nothing, urging Ginny to say what she wanted to say. She watched Ginny shuffle her feet, avoiding her gaze, and Hermione inwardly rolled her eyes. Although she was a patient person, she really wanted to get home. She was tired, cranky, and she needed to get away from Ron as soon as possible._

_"I need you to stay away from Harry," Ginny blurted out. Hermione looked at the younger girl in shock._

_"I'm sorry?" she asked stupidly, not quite sure she was hearing right. Ginny took a deep breath and matched her gaze with Hermione's._

_"I need you to stay away from Harry," she repeated. Hermione glared at Ginny. How _dare _she say that? After everything Harry has gone through for all of sixth year, Ginny could only think of herself and being with Harry. Didn't he already make it clear to her that she needed to _stay away

_"Don't be ridiculous Ginny," she replied, picking up her bag and walking away from the girl. Before she could turn and walk, however, Ginny caught her arm._

_"Look Hermione. I need some time to sort things out with Harry. With you being there, you will just be interfering with Harry and his decisions. I need him to decide for himself if he really wants to be with me or not, and not because you decided _for _him," she said. Hermione looked at Ginny in disbelief._

_"Ginny, can you _not _think about yourself for once? Harry _can't be with you. _He already has a lot on his plate without you trying to force yourself into his life," she hissed. Ginny glared back at her._

_"I just want to know where I stand in his life, okay Hermione? I don't need _you, _or anybody else for that matter, telling me that Harry doesn't need me," she said. Shaking herself out of her anger, Ginny looked at Hermione once again, her eyes pleading._

_"Please Hermione. I just want you to stay away from the Burrow until after I've sorted things out with Harry. After that, I'll owl you. You can floo in anytime after and then you'll be able to work things out with Ron," she pleaded. At the mention of Ron, Hermione glared at Ginny, but hearing the desperation in Ginny's voice, she couldn't help but feel her anger ebb away._

_"All right Ginny. I'll stay away from the Burrow and…Harry," she choked, blinking away her tears. For a minute, she found herself wondering why she couldn't get away from Ron, but the thought of staying away from Harry is bringing her on the brink of tears?_

_Upon hearing Hermione's words, Ginny's face broke into a beautiful smile and hugged Hermione._

_"Thank you Hermione. I promise you won't regret this," she said before letting go and hurrying after her family, waving at Hermione. Once the red-head girl left, Hermione dropped all pretenses and let her tears fall._

_End of Flashback_

That was after they got off the train at King's Cross. It is now nearing the end of June, and although she knew that Harry was in the Burrow and has been staying there for quite a while now, she still hasn't heard a word from Ginny.

Although Hermione missed her best friends terribly, she found that time to herself also had its perks. She would not have been able to find a part-time job as a waitress to occupy her time and be able to bond with her parents.

She also had enough time to realize her true feelings for Harry.

Hermione shook her head and continued to walk, stroking Crookshanks fur and smiled when she felt her familiar purr with content.

After the run-in with Ginny, Hermione, the over-analyzing-know-it-all, dissected her conflicting feelings towards her raven-haired best friend. Everyone in her year thought that she fancied Ron, and Hermione ironically went along with their thoughts, but as she thought about it closely, the thought of being away from Ron should've bothered her more than the thought of being away from Harry.

After a few weeks of analyzing, Logical Hermione gave up and Emotional Hermione took over, screaming in her head that she was in love with Harry, not Ron. Coming to that conclusion, Hermione's heart broke even more because Ginny told her to stay away from Harry.

_If I were more aware of my feelings for Harry, I wouldn't have agreed to it, _she thought, sighing. Nevertheless, she kept her word and stayed away from Harry, even going as far as sending back all the letters that Harry sent her. She also ignored Ron's letters at first, but when she found the courage to read one of his letters, she saw that Ron's thoughts occupied a certain dirty-blonde haired witch, Luna Lovegood. She decided then that she would write to Ron about her summer, deliberately staying away from the topic of visiting the Burrow and made sure to write as short as possible. After that, Ron's letter's kept coming, and she kept reading them, but she seldom wrote back.

Hermione had been aimlessly walking once more, and was not aware of where she was going until she walked right into someone. Breaking out of her thoughts, Hermione gasped and stepped back. She bit her lip in pain when Crookshanks hissed at her and dug his claws into her arms.

"I'm _so _sorry!" she exclaimed, trying to calm Crookshanks. She heard the person chuckle.

"It's all right Hermione. But fancy bumping into you," the voice replied. Hermione looked up to find Seamus Finnegan's smiling face. Her own face broke into a smile.

"Seamus! It's good to see you!" she exclaimed, wrapping the sandy-haired boy into a one-armed hug, making sure that Crookshanks wasn't in the way. Once they pulled away, Hermione looked at him, not believing her luck to have her slam into a familiar face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Seamus laughed.

"I live just down the block over there," he replied, pointing to a pretty house on the far corner. He looked back at her.

"If I'd known you lived near this place, I would've invited you over," he said. Hermione smiled and looked around to where she ended up.

_I should really stop being so deep in my thoughts while I'm walking._

"I actually live about five blocks from here," she replied. Seamus nodded his understanding.

"Would you like to come to my place? Have some tea?" he asked. Hermione smiled.

"I'd like that Seamus," she said.

--

"So how'd you end up in my neighborhood anyway?" Seamus asked, pouring out the tea for Hermione. They both settled down on the patio in Seamus' garden, both finding that drinking tea inside would not be as fun as drinking outside. She thanked him and added two cubes of sugar into her tea, blowing out the steam.

"It's one of my aimless walking," she replied. "I tend to walk and let my feet lead the way while I break into my thoughts."

"May I ask what those thoughts are or are they none of my concern?" Seamus asked cautiously. Hermione smiled at him. Although they were not the best of friends like he was with Harry and Ron, she never once felt uncomfortable around Seamus. It also helps that they share a common interest: being friends with Harry and Ron.

"No worries Seamus," she said. "My thoughts mostly revolved around the events that happened on our sixth year."

"You mean you and Ron?" he asked, grinning. Hermione immediately frowned.

"There is no me and Ron," she snapped, sipping on her tea. Hermione saw Seamus look apologetic.

"I-I'm sorry Hermione. I just thought- " Hermione cut him off.

"It's fine Seamus. I thought there was a 'me and Ron' too, but I guess you can say I woke up," she said. Hermione watched as Seamus smiled at her knowingly.

"Well, I always thought you and Ron would make a horrible couple," he said, sipping on his own tea. Hermione laughed.

"You know, I needed to hear that during school. Where were you?" she asked. Seamus chuckled.

"I was in Gryffindor, laughing my arse off at Won-Won," he replied, causing Hermione to laugh harder.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?" Seamus asked once the laughter died down.

"Sure Seamus," Hermione replied.

"Why aren't you spending your time at the Burrow?" he asked. Hermione bit her lip. She should've seen this coming.

"It's a long story," was all she said. Seamus leaned back on his chair, making himself comfortable.

"We've got nothing but time dah'ling," he said with a mock American accent. Hermione laughed again. She was amazed to find herself having a great time talking to Seamus and wondered why she never bothered to spend some time to talk to him.

_Might as well tell him everything._

As Hermione related her story to Seamus, she couldn't help but notice that he supported everything she said. She, like everyone else who thought that her and Ron were meant to be together, thought that Seamus approved of Ginny and Harry being together.

"Ginny has become quite the scarlet woman this year," Seamus said once Hermione finished her story. She couldn't help but laugh at the way he said it.

_Once again, I thought wrong._

"But I'm surprised you actually listened to her Hermione," Seamus continued. Hermione looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You don't strike me as the girl to listen to someone who orders you around, much less Ginny Weasley," he explained. Hermione looked down at her tea.

"Although I'm not happy I agreed with the situation myself, I thought Ginny needed this time for her to realize that Harry doesn't need her," she said. Hermione shook her head, then smiled at Seamus.

"So Seamus, what have you been up to this summer?" she asked, hoping against hope that Seamus would take the hint. Fortunately for her, Seamus did.

"I've been running a dance studio," he said. Once again, Hermione was surprised.

"You dance?" she asked. Seamus nodded.

"My grandfather died during winter, and in his will, he left the dance studio he owned to me. I guess he knew how much I loved the place and thought I could run it for him," he said.

"I'm so sorry about your grandfather Seamus," Hermione said worriedly. Seamus shook his head and smiled at her.

"No worries Hermione; keeping the dance studio alive feels like he's alive as well, because he was a dancer like me," he replied. They sat in silence for a few moments, but Hermione couldn't contain the curiosity bubbling up inside her.

"So what do you do?" she finally asked.

"I teach Ballroom and Latin dances," he replied. Hermione couldn't help but find herself intrigued.

"I've always wanted to learn how to dance," she replied dreamily. Sensing the old know-it-all Hermione resurfacing, Seamus couldn't help but smile.

"Would you like me to teach you?" he asked. At this, Hermione's eyes lit up.

"Would you?" she asked. Then, finding her manners, she quickly added, "I mean, if it's not a bother." Seamus laughed.

"I'd love to teach you how to dance Hermione," he said. He'd never seen Hermione so excited in his life. He watched as she squealed and leapt towards him, making him fall back on his chair. They tumbled down on the grass, but for Seamus' sake, Hermione let go of him and helped him up.

"Sorry about that," she said, blushing furiously. "It's just that with Bill and Fleur's wedding coming up, I wanted to take a chance and be one of those people that never left the dance floor. Unfortunately for me, I don't dance that often." Once Seamus dusted himself off with dirt, he grinned back at her.

"It's all right Hermione. I'll teach you everything you know. How about starting tomorrow?" he asked. Hermione bit her lip.

"I can't Seamus. I'm working that day," she said. Seamus raised an eyebrow.

"Where do you work?" he asked.

"You know the local muggle restaurant called Open House?" he nodded. "That's where I work as a part-time waitress." Seamus gave her a look of surprise.

"Once again, you don't strike me as the type to work as a waitress," he said. Hermione couldn't help but smile. She found that there are so many things she didn't know about Seamus Finnegan, but she vowed that she would get to know him this summer, just how he's about to get to know her.

"Let me guess. You thought I would be working as a part-time librarian, am I right?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well yeah," Seamus replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Hermione laughed.

"Well Mr. Finnegan, you'd be surprised at how well you really know me," she said. Seamus laughed as well.

"I'm already surprised as it is Hermione. But no worries; the same goes to you," he replied.

--

After spending a few more hours at Seamus' house (where she met Mrs. Finnegan, a lovely middle-aged woman with a thick Irish accent, and somehow ending up eating dinner with the Finnegan family), Hermione found herself in Seamus' company as she walked home.

"Do you think I could visit you at Open House tomorrow while you work?" Seamus asked. Hermione smiled at him.

"I'd like that Seamus," she replied. Seamus shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked along.

"What time are you off your work tomorrow anyway?" he asked. Hermione absently stroked Crookshanks.

"Well, I'll be working at 10 in the morning, so I should be off at around 5 in the afternoon," she said. Seamus turned to her.

"You know, we can start your dancing lessons right after your work," he said. Hermione's eyes brightened.

"Really?" she asked, barely containing her excitement. Seamus chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Of course! In fact, owl me a copy of your work schedule. If you get off work in the afternoon, I'm sure we can squeeze your dancing lessons along," he said. Hermione grinned.

"Well I'm getting a new work schedule tomorrow, so as soon as I get it, I will immediately make you a copy," she said. Seamus grinned.

"But you're okay with starting your dancing lessons as soon as possible, right?" he asked. Hermione nodded enthusiastically, causing Seamus to chuckle again. Before Hermione knew it, they were standing at the front of her house. She turned to Seamus, smiling happily at him.

"Thank you for a lovely day today," she said. Seamus smiled back.

"It's nice to see you Hermione. And you heard my mum; don't be a stranger and come over anytime," he said. Hermione gave him a hug.

"I have a feeling we'll be spending _a lot _of time together," she said before bidding him farewell and walking towards her house.

_I guess my first summer without Harry and Ron for a bit won't be so bad after all, _she thought, smiling to herself.

--

_A/N: Okay guys, you know what to do! Review Review Review! It's nice to feel my hard work is appreciated once in awhile._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I forgot to add in a disclaimer on the beginning of the first chapter, so before I forget, here it is:_

**Disclaimer: The HP characters do not belong to me. They all belong to JKR, and although I'm not all too happy with her for a moment, I still respect her because she brought the HP characters into the world. The plot and the original characters in this story are all mine.**

_There we go! Now, I'd like to thank my new beta LiL AzN ShOrTy for editing this chapter. If it wasn't for her, you'd still be waiting for me to post this. Now enjoy!_

--

**Chapter 2**

Harry Potter crept up the stairs to Ron Weasley's room silently, making sure to avoid the creaky ones. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he tiptoed his way to Ron's room, quietly turning the doorknob and slipped inside. Harry made sure to close the door with as little noise as possible, and once the door closed softly behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He walked over to Ron's window, where Hedwig was perched with an envelope on her beak. Excitement surged through him, and he stroked Hedwig as he slowly eased the envelope from her. The excitement immediately fell as soon as he saw Hermione's name labeled in his own writing on the back of the envelope.

Harry crumpled his letter and threw it across the room, frustration and anger mixing up inside him. That was the 20th letter he sent to Hermione, and each one came back to him the next day. He plopped down on his bed, running a hand through his hair and trying to calm himself.

_Dammit Hermione, _he thought angrily. Why was she avoiding him?

He racked his brain for endless reason, stopping at a memory of the last time he saw her. They reached King's Cross, where they got off Hogwarts Express as soon as they collected their belongings. He'd given her a hug and she gladly returned it, whispering in his ear that they would see each other at the Burrow soon. Harry had relaxed at the thought and when Hermione pulled away, he smiled softly, already counting the days before he would be able to see her and Ron again.

Although one of Dumbledore's last wishes was for him to stay with the Dursleys until he turned 17, he immediately disregarded the wish and left Privet Drive a week later, not looking back. When he reached Ottery St. Catchpole, he suddenly couldn't wait to see Hermione (who he thought would surely be there by now) and Ron.

He was disappointed not only to find that Hermione wasn't there, but Ginny suddenly made it her goal to try and get him alone, leaving him no peace in the Burrow like he hoped.

At first he convinced himself that Hermione would be coming soon, but June was slowly ending and she still hasn't arrived. Harry had owled her when he first saw that Hermione wasn't there, asking when she'd be arriving to the Burrow, but his letter had returned to him, unopened.

Harry even asked Ron one day if he heard anything about Hermione. Ron, who now spent most of his time with his newfound love Luna, showed him the one letter he received from her.

_Dear Ron,_

_My summer has been great so far. I'm actually working alongside my parents in their office, and I also found myself a job as a waitress in this muggle restaurant. One day, I would like to bring you and Harry here, as you would both fall in love with this place like I did. It also helps that they have great food that could rival Hogwart's feasts._

_I'm glad that you find a companion in Luna. Although she and I did not get along at first, I found out how special she really was in the end. Treat her right Ron. She's worth it._

_I must run. Do write back; I'd love to know what's going on in the Burrow. Send Harry my love._

_Always,_

_Hermione_

Harry had looked at Ron once he finished reading the parchment.

"That's all she wrote?" he asked. Ron nodded, looking worried.

"I know. At first I thought it wasn't her, but when I cast an identity charm on it, the parchment revealed that Hermione indeed wrote the letter. I couldn't believe it myself. I mean, I receive a very short reply from Hermione, only talking about my thoughts on Luna and not bothering to tell me when she's coming to the Burrow? Who wouldn't be suspicious?" he said incredulously. Harry then looked back at the parchment in his hand.

"Did she write anything else?" he asked. Ron shook his head.

"I've written back to her countless times after she gave me this letter though," he said. Harry clenched the letter in his hand, trying to control his anger.

"She should have been here by now Ron; why is she avoiding us all of a sudden?" he asked through clenched teeth. Ron, sensing his anger, placed his hand on Harry's shoulder as a way of comfort.

"I know Harry. Although she's still not here, she _will _come. It's Hermione," he said reassuringly. Harry smiled weakly at Ron.

"Thanks mate," he said.

That conversation took place a week after Harry arrived. Ron had showed him two more letters that he received from Hermione since then, but they were similar to the first one. It was short, and avoided any talks about the Burrow.

Harry wondered for awhile why Hermione was replying to Ron, but she won't send a single bloody letter to him. Blimey, Harry is so desperate to hear from her, he'd be glad to receive even a note from Hermione.

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts of Hermione and lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He never thought he would ever feel alone in a place like the Burrow, yet he never felt more alone and miserable in his life. It might be because Ron was spending most of his time with Luna, but he admitted to himself that he was missed Hermione's company even more.

Ron's door opened, and Harry held his breath.

_Please don't be Ginny, please don't be Ginny, please don't be Ginny-_

"Harry?" Ron's head popped inside. Harry blew out the breath he was holding and sat up from his bed, motioning for Ron to come in.

"Heard anything from Hermione?" he asked. When Ron shook his head, Harry tried not to let his disappointment show. Ron sat on the edge of his own bed, facing his best friend.

"Ginny's looking for you," he said. Harry groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Did you tell her where I was?" he asked. Ron shook his head again.

"Just thought you should to know," he replied with a shrug.

"I'm sorry Ron, but your sister is getting on my nerves," he said. Ron chuckled.

"I still can't believe she followed you into the loo!" he exclaimed. Harry chuckled with him. He couldn't believe it himself either.

There was one incident where Harry really needed to go to the loo, and as soon as he entered the bathroom, Ginny followed him inside, demanding to talk. Although Harry wasn't thrilled about the way he yelled at Ginny, he felt he was going to burst at the time and the only logical thing he could think of that time was to yell at her and shove her out the door, locking it in the process. Afterwards, The Weasley Family heard of the incident and the twins began to mock Ginny, who just blushed furiously but seemed rather proud of herself. Harry just shook his head, thinking how ridiculous Ginny was acting.

The moment Harry arrived at the Burrow, he found it rather difficult to find some peace without Ginny trying to corner him and demanding to talk everywhere he went. He understood what she was trying to do, but it doesn't mean it didn't annoy him.

In all honesty, he wasn't sure how he truly felt about Ginny. Although being with her during his sixth year was fun, he broke up with her for a reason.

He also wasn't sure if he wanted her back.

And she's certainly not gaining her any points with the way she's been following him around, trying to corner him with every chance she gets. Harry was slowly wondering what he ever saw in Ginny.

"Are you going to get back together with Ginny?" Ron's question shattered his thoughts. He turned towards his best friend, searching for any signs of anger from him, but he only found curiosity written on his face.

"Do you want me to?" he asked, deciding to take a bite. Ron shrugged.

"At first, yeah, but now that I've seen you two together…" he trailed off. Harry cocked an eyebrow.

"Now…?" he asked. Ron shrugged again.

"I wouldn't mind if you two never became a couple again," he replied. Harry bit his lip to keep him from grinning. He didn't know why Ron's approval of Ginny and Harry not ending up together made him happy, but it did.

A knock on the door broke Harry and Ron's conversation. His head snapped at Ron's direction, who placed a finger on his lips. Harry immediately got his message.

_Don't make a sound. I'll make her leave._

"What?!" Ron cried at the door.

"Is Harry there with you?" Ginny's voice rang on the other side of the door. Harry waved his hands around, shaking his head. Ron stifled a laugh at his friend's panic.

"No, he's not here," Ron choked out.

"Are you lying to me?" Ginny asked. Ron rolled his eyes (causing Harry to stifle his own laughter) and stood up. Before Ron opened the door, he turned to Harry, who was giving him a stricken look.

"Invisibility cloak," Ron mouthed. Harry nodded and took his trunk from under his bed, rummaging through it until his hands felt the silky material. Putting his trunk back under his bed, Harry wrapped himself in the cloak while Ron watched his friend disappear. He waited a few seconds before he opened the door and found Ginny glaring at him, her hands on her hips.

"Well?" she asked. Ron glared back and stepped out of the way to let Ginny enter.

"Does _this _answer your bloody question?" he asked, motioning towards the empty room. Ginny looked around the room before turning to Ron, still glaring at him.

"Well if you see him, tell him I'm looking for him," she hissed. Ron groaned.

"Give the bloke a break Ginny! You should be ashamed of yourself, following Harry like a lovesick puppy," he retorted. Ginny continued to glare at him.

"Just _tell him!_" she yelled before walking out of the room. Ron rolled his eyes before closing the door. He turned back to his friend, who emerged in the middle of the room.

"I'm sorry mate, but sooner or later, you're going to have to talk to Ginny. You can't hide from her forever," he said. Harry sighed and gazed out at the window.

"I know. But right now, Hermione is more important than a bloody talk with Ginny," he said.

_Hermione, where are you? _Harry thought desperately, looking out into the beautiful sky.

--

"Hermione?"

Hermione looked up from the table she was currently wiping to find Amy, her fellow waitress.

"What's wrong Amy?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong," she said. "But Nancy wants to speak to you."

Hermione looked back at the table she was currently working on. She only started cleaning it, and she knew as well as everyone that she doesn't like to leave her tasks unfinished.

Sensing Hermione's hesitancy, Amy grabbed the cloth she was using to wipe the table and pushed her forward.

"It's okay Hermione. I'll finish it for you. Now go before Nancy starts yelling," she said, cringing at the thought. Hermione laughed. Everyone also knew that although Nancy was a great manager, they know better than to be at the receiving end of Nancy when she yells.

Hermione walked to the bar, where Nancy was behind the counter, pacing back and forth. As soon as she spotted Hermione, she stopped pacing and smiled. It was no secret that although Hermione was fairly new, she was by far the best waitress she ever hired.

"You called for me?" Hermione asked as soon as she reached the bar, taking a seat on one of the empty stools. Nancy nodded.

"Gary quit," she said. Hermione blinked.

"Gary quit?" she asked. When Nancy nodded, Hermione let out a breath. Gary was the only bartender in Open House. Nobody else knew how to mix drinks perfectly like he does.

"Did he quit just now?" Hermione asked. Nancy looked at her, biting her lip. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Nancy, what did you do?" she asked, trying not to laugh. When Nancy gets angry, she not only yells until everyone around her ends up with shattered eardrums, she also tends to overreact over little things.

"Hesteppedonmyfoot," she mumbled. Hermione smirked.

"Come again?" she asked. Nancy stuck her tongue out.

"He stepped on my foot," she finally admitted. Hermione couldn't hold it any longer. She burst out laughing, which caused the older woman to glare at her.

"Hermione it's _not _funny okay! He could've broken my toe! And he did it deliberately!" she exclaimed. Hermione laughed harder.

"But was it necessary to yell at him? I'm assuming you yelled at him if he quit," she replied once she gained her composure. Nancy narrowed her eyes.

"You're lucky I like you so much," she said. Then she sighed.

"What am I going to do Hermione? I can't just close up my bloody bar," she said. At that moment, the doorbell rang, and the two girls turned to see Seamus come in. Hermione immediately smiled and waved. Seamus saw her and smiled back, walking towards her.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Nancy asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Hermione laughed.

"Hardly. I go to school with him," she said. Hermione stood up from her seat and gave Seamus a hug before sitting beside her. Sensing Nancy's curiosity, she refrained herself from chuckling.

"Seamus, meet my boss, Nancy. Nancy, meet Seamus, my school mate," she said. Seamus extended a hand.

"Nice to meet you Nancy," he said, giving her a charming grin. Nancy took his hand and shook it.

"Can you mix drinks?" Nancy suddenly asked. Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Nancy!" she exclaimed, embarrassed. Nancy turned to her.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"I introduced you to Seamus not so you can ask him about that," she hissed. She glanced at Seamus, who looked confused.

"Do I want to know?" he asked.

"Nancy here yelled at our old bartender, who quit right on the spot. She's desperate; hence she asked if you could be a bartender," she explained, still watching Nancy. Seamus' cheeks turned red.

"I'm sorry Nancy. I'm a dancer, not a bartender," he said. Nancy pouted.

"I wish you were a bartender," she muttered. Unfortunately, Hermione heard.

"Nancy!" she exclaimed again. Nancy laughed.

"I was kidding Hermione! Blimey," she said. She looked at her watch. "I'd tell you to help me make a banner that says, 'Bartender Wanted' outside, but your shift is over, so I'll ask someone else."

Hermione looked at her own watch, and seeing that indeed, her shift was over, she stood up, untying her apron from her waist and turning to Seamus.

"Just give me a few minutes to change and I'll be right with you," she said before going behind the counter of the bar and disappearing to the doors. Nancy turned back to Seamus.

"Are you dating?" she asked bluntly. Seamus laughed, immediately taking a liking towards Hermione's boss.

"No. We're just friends," he replied. Nancy looked thoughtful.

"Why not?" she asked. Seamus smiled.

"She's in love with someone else," he simply said.

"Is she dating him?" Nancy asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. Seamus shook his head.

"Pity," Nancy said, turning her gaze towards the doors where Hermione disappeared to. "She's a beautiful, smart girl."

"I couldn't agree with you more Nancy," Seamus said. It was true. Hermione transformed from a bushy-haired, bucktooth know-it-all into a slender woman, her now long hair cascading down her back into soft curls and her bucktooth gone, giving her straight, pearly white teeth. Although Hermione wouldn't be described as gorgeous like Parvati and Lavender, her confidence along with the natural beauty that she possessed would truly make heads turn.

Hermione came out after a few minutes, wearing white flats, white Bermuda shorts and a thin-strapped emerald green top, the fabric tightening under her breasts and flowing over her stomach and hips. Seamus noted that Hermione pulled her hair out of the ponytail that she wore during her work, her soft, curly locks bouncing freely.

"I'm ready," she said, grinning. Seamus tilted his head to the side, examining her.

"You know Hermione, if I didn't know any better I'd say living with Parvati and Lavender rubbed off on you one way or the other in terms of clothes," he said. Hermione placed a hand on her hip.

"Contrary to your beliefs Seamus, I _am _still a girl, and I _do _have some knowledge on what looks nice on me," she replied. She turned to Nancy.

"I'd like my schedule please and thank you," she said, batting her eyelashes. Nancy rolled her eyes.

"That only works if I swing that way Hermione," she replied, but nonetheless flipped through the papers in her clipboard before pulling out a sheet and handing it to her. Hermione blew a kiss at Nancy (who rolled her eyes again, making her laugh) before she and Seamus left the restaurant.

"You know, I like your boss," Seamus said once they started walking. Hermione laughed.

"She _is _amazing," Hermione agreed. "She's actually only 25, believe it or not." Seamus laughed.

"Ironically, I _do _believe it," he replied. Hermione sighed happily.

"Although she's only a manager, she's got plans to take over Open House," she said. "She told me once that as soon as she buys the restaurant, she'll be saving a spot for me if ever I decide to return."

"Do you think you'll be returning?" Seamus asked. Hermione shrugged.

"Maybe," she said. They turned the corner at the end of the block, and Hermione was amazed to find the studio across the street. She turned to Seamus, her mouth open.

"You never told me the studio was _this _near!" she exclaimed. Seamus chuckled.

"I didn't know until you told me where Open House was," he replied. Seamus unlocked the door and let Hermione in first, who stared in awe as she stepped foot into the massive studio. Seamus walked over to the counter on the far side of the studio, Hermione following suit. She's never been to a dance studio before, but now that she's inside one of them, she wished she took dance lessons sooner.

"Hermione, place your things here so we can get started," Seamus' voice broke Hermione's thoughts. She nodded and dropped her purse on the counter, where she found Seamus fumbling for a CD.

"Do you need help there?" she asked. Seamus found the CD he was looking for and shook his head, smiling at Hermione as he popped the CD in the built-in sound system on the counter. The studio was suddenly filled with a slow ballad, and Seamus walked over to Hermione, taking her hand and pulling her into the middle of the dance floor.

"The first dance I'm going to teach you is the Waltz," he said. He placed Hermione's left hand on his shoulder while he placed her right hand on top of his. Seamus then placed his left hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him, causing Hermione to blush.

Feeling Hermione's uneasiness as soon as he pulled her closer, Seamus gave her a smile, hoping that would calm her.

"The Waltz is an elegant dance," he began. "So it should be treated with elegance as well. This dance is the easiest in ballroom dancing; that is why I'm teaching this first. You should always remember that the man must lead, not you." Hermione scoffed at that.

"That's rather sexist," she muttered. Seamus laughed.

"No it's not," he replied. "In the Waltz, trust must always be gained between the two partners. By allowing him to lead, you are giving your trust to him. He is giving you his trust when you allow yourself to follow him." Seamus saw Hermione think about what he said, and he could almost feel her trying to memorize every single thing he said. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Hermione, dancing is not something you must memorize. It is something that you must _feel,_" he said. Hermione nodded.

"Let us begin," Seamus said. "Now, in the Waltz, I start by stepping forward. That is always the first step in Waltz. So when I step forward, you must immediately step back. Understand?" Again, Hermione nodded. When Seamus stepped forward, Hermione stepped back in unison. Seamus grinned.

"Now you know the first step," he said. Hermione giggled.

"So what's the next step?" she asked. Seamus moved his other leg to the side, Hermione following suit.

"The next step-" Seamus stepped back, making Hermione step forward with him, "-is following me wherever I go." Seamus then moved her around the studio, Hermione trying to keep up with him. After stepping on his foot twice, she groaned in frustration.

"Seamus, I can't follow! It's too hard!" she exclaimed, pouting. Hermione always excelled in everything. She is not about to fail with dancing. Seamus laughed and dropped her hand.

"All right, let's try another tactic. Close your eyes," he instructed, and Hermione obeyed.

"Listen to the music," he said. Hermione did what he said, and as she began to listen, she felt the music wash over her, the rhythm soothing her body. Whatever tension she felt, they were quickly dissolving as the music relaxed every single muscle in her body.

"Now open your eyes," Seamus' voice entered her thoughts, and when Hermione did, she was surprised to find that she was being twirled around by Seamus, who was grinning proudly at her.

"Since when did we start dancing again?" she asked, but laughed happily when she saw herself dancing perfectly in tune with Seamus. He joined in her laughter.

"When you stopped thinking with your brain and began to let the music flow through you," he said, his left arm leaving her waist as he twirled her. Once she stopped twirling, Hermione immediately found her place, not once losing a beat with the song.

When the music ended, she grinned.

"That was amazing," she breathed. Seamus grinned back at her. When a new, slow ballad filled the studio once more, Seamus bowed and offered a hand to her.

"Shall we start again?" he asked. Hermione laughed and curtsied, placing her hand on top of Seamus. They immediately fell into stance.

"Yes we shall," she replied, and Seamus took that as a cue and began to move, Hermione matching his movements. They continued to dance with a few more songs, and when the CD finally ended, Seamus stopped and smiled proudly at her.

"You're learning fast Hermione. Before you know it, you will be breezing through the other dances," he said. Hermione continued to smile happily at him, until the clock in the studio caught her eye.

"I have to go," she gasped as soon as she read 9:00pm on the clock. Did four hours pass that fast? Grabbing her purse, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at her work schedule.

"_Effingo,_" she muttered. Soft light burst through her wand and enveloped her work schedule. Once the light died down, she picked up the new copy she made and handed it to Seamus.

"My work schedule," she said, smiling. Seamus looked at the paper, his brain working to squeeze in her dance lessons.

"Okay, how about Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings since you're only working until five during those days," he said. Hermione nodded, jotting down the days on her work schedule.

"We could also use Sunday, but I don't want to work you too hard. Besides-" Seamus looked up and grinned cheekily at her. "-Mum wants you to visit on Sundays and try out her 'new recipes'." Hermione laughed.

"Tell her I wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied. She put her wand and her work schedule in her purse, then gave Seamus a hug.

"Thanks for the first lesson," she said. Seamus shrugged.

"It was nothing. Besides, you're a quick-learner," he replied. Seamus walked around the counter, turning off the sound system and grabbing his keys.

"Come on, I'll take you home," he said. Hermione smiled.

"So what's next on the dancing list?" she asked as soon as they walked out of the studio and into the still night. Seamus slung an arm around her shoulders, walking towards Hermione's house.

"That, Hermione, I haven't thought of yet," was his reply. Hermione laughed and placed her own arm around Seamus' waist, all the while thinking she could not think of anyone better to spend the night with than the sandy-haired boy beside her.

--

**References**

- The line "By allowing him to lead, you are giving your trust to him. He is giving you his trust when you allow yourself to follow him" was from the movie _Take the Lead._ Although it's not exactly the same line, it's similar to it.

_- Effingo _means Copy in Latin.

- I myself am not a dancer, so Seamus' instructions are basically my own knowledge of the Waltz. If anyone of you readers is a dancer who know Waltz back and forth and my instructions are rather vague and not that good, pardon me. Like I said, I'm not a dancer.


	3. Chapter 3  FOR REAL THIS TIME!

_Disclaimer: JKR owns the charactes but the plot is ALL mine. So no touchie!_

_Anyway, I'd like to thank _LiL AzN ShOrTy _for editing this chapter long ago. I hope you're still around to beta chapter 4 and up when I'm done with them!_

**Chapter 3**

Hermione entered Open House, instantly breathing in the delicious aroma the restaurant is usually filled with. Smiling, she walked towards the doors beside the bar to change into her work clothes. As soon as she stepped inside however, she felt a hand pull her inside Nancy's office on the right. Hermione, on instinct, reached inside her purse to pull out her wand but stopped just in time to see Nancy's face inches from hers. Hermione squeaked and stepped back.

"Blimey Nancy! Was that really necessary?" she cried, placing a hand on her heart and willing it to slow down. Nancy watched her in amusement.

"Of course," she said as-a-matter-of-factly, shooting Hermione a look that clearly says, "Do you expect anything less?" Hermione scowled.

"You could've given me a heart attack you know," she snapped. Nancy snorted.

"Don't be silly. You're only 17," she replied. Hermione didn't know whether she should laugh or glare at her boss. In the end, she did neither.

"So why did you pull me here? I need to change for work," she said. Nancy's eyes lit up, as if suddenly remembering why she pulled Hermione in her office in the first place.

"Did you see my 'Bartender Wanted' sign outside?" she asked, excitement evident in her voice. Hermione indeed noticed the sign before she was coming in. When she first laid her eyes on it, she wanted to laugh. The sign was written in a rainbow-like ink and written on hot pink cardboard paper that Hermione was almost sure a person standing a hundred feet away can see the sign.

"I did," Hermione said, trying to hold back her laughter. "Who made it?"

"Babs," Nancy replied. Hermione, who couldn't hold back her laughter any longer, disguised her laugh as a series of coughing fits. Babs, aka. Barbara, was the equivalent of Lavender and Parvati mixed together. She's also the clumsiest waitress in the world. The first week she was hired, she nearly broke all the dishes in the restaurant that Nancy decided to place her in a hostess job instead.

"I think she did a fabulous job, don't you think?" Nancy's voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts, clearly unfazed by Hermione's sudden "cough fits".

"Fabulous," Hermione agreed after finally controlling her laughter but was still snickering silently. Nancy, however, was still oblivious.

"I thought you were going to make it yourself?" Hermione asked after she regained her composure. Nancy blushed.

"I tried, but I forgot how horrible my penmanship is. Instead of the sign saying 'Bartender Wanted', it kept turning out 'Bats Wanker'," Nancy replied. Hermione instantly covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Thankfully, Nancy was once again oblivious. Her gaze had a faraway look in them, but she also wore a dreamy expression on her face while Hermione tried to calm herself.

Finally, Hermione was back to snickering silently when Nancy snapped out of her thoughts.

"Anyway, a lot of blokes caught saw the sign-" _I bet, _Hermione thought, still snickering, "-but none were really qualified for the job except this one bloke," Nancy said. At this, Hermione stopped snickering and perked up.

"Oh? Who is he?" she asked, curiosity building up inside her. Nancy grabbed her handy clipboard from her desk and flipped through the person's application form.

"His name's Matthew Geiger, and he used to live in Surrey working as a bartender before moving here to East London," she said. Hermione walked over to Nancy and looked at the application form as well. After a few moments of looking over the form, Hermione looked up at Nancy, smiling.

"Looks like a keeper," she said. Nancy grinned.

"He is, isn't he," she said dreamily. Hermione shot her manager an amused look. Nancy, who caught it, glared at her.

"What? I've seen the bloke and he's gorgeous in every way!" she exclaimed. Hermione laughed and shook her head.

"Nancy, the boy is 8 years younger than you," she replied. Nancy continued to glare at her.

"So? You'd be after him too if you see him. His gray eyes are captivating. A little mysterious, but still beautiful," she said, staring off into space once more. Hermione continued to watch her boss with amusement. Nancy snapped out of her thoughts after a few moments and turned to Hermione.

"He'll be here soon, so I need you to bring him inside so I could start his interview," she said. Hermione placed a hand on her hip.

"Will I get paid for this?" she asked. Nancy tutted.

"It's always about the money for you, isn't it?" she asked. Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"I've got to make a living somehow," she replied. Nancy rolled her eyes and pushed Hermione out of her office.

"Just bring him inside when you see him!" she exclaimed before slamming the door on Hermione's face. Hermione stared at the door for a moment, irritated.

"You're lucky I like you!" she yelled at the door before storming off to the change room. Once she was done changing, she walked out the door-

And slammed right into Draco Malfoy.

Although he didn't look like Draco Malfoy.

His usual platinum-blonde hair was now chocolate brown, but whatever doubt Hermione had that he wasn't Draco Malfoy dissipated when she locked gaze with his all-too-familiar steely gray eyes.

Hermione gasped, shoved Malfoy inside the change room, locked it, and pulled out her wand.

"You better tell me _right now _what you're doing here before I blast you to smithereens," she whispered, her eyes flashing dangerously. Hermione caught a flash of fear in Malfoy's eyes before it disappeared.

"Easy there Granger before you poke someone's eye out," he said. Hermione ignored him.

"You didn't answer me," she replied, pointing her wand right at Malfoy's heart. Hermione saw him swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Like I should tell you anything, but can you at least place a silencing charm first?" he asked. Hermione regarded him for a few minutes before casting _silencio_ around the room. Once she was done, she whipped her wand at Malfoy's direction again.

"Now _talk,_" she hissed. Hermione noticed Malfoy looking weary before he plopped down on the bench of the changing room.

"Do you know what an Unbreakable Vow is?" Malfoy asked, looking down at the floor. Hermione kept her wand trained on him.

"It requires a Bonder's wand touching the hands of the person administering the vow-" Hermione was cut off when Malfoy glared at her.

"I didn't ask for an explanation. I simply asked a yes or no question," he snapped. Hermione matched his glare.

"What about it?" she asked. Malfoy averted her gaze and looked down at the floor once more.

"My mum and Snape performed an Unbreakable Vow, with my Aunt Bellatrix being their Bonder," he began. Upon hearing her former Potions Professor and the mad woman that killed Sirius Black, Hermione unconsciously tightened her grip on her wand. Although her arm was beginning to hurt from holding her wand, she ignored the pain and continued to point her wand at Malfoy.

"You see, my mum wasn't too thrilled of my father's idea of me becoming a Death Eater, and for once, I shared her feelings, though I wouldn't dare say such a thing to my father. But my father wanted me to follow his footsteps, so he made the Dark Lord give me a mission as my initiation: to kill Dumbledore." Hermione's heart stopped at his words.

"You – you – " she stammered, feeling her eyes well up with angry tears. Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her.

"I _didn't _kill him Granger. I couldn't-" he buried his hands in his head. Hermione didn't know whether to slap the boy in front of her or hex him now. Instead, she lowered her wand.

"My mum made Snape promise with an Unbreakable Vow that if I failed my mission, he'd step in to protect me," Malfoy continued, talking as if Hermione wasn't in the room anymore. "But The Dark Lord, when finding out that Snape stepped in to finish my mission for me-" Hermione gasped, " –wasn't too pleased and doubted my abilities to become a follower. I thought that was my way out, and for a while, it looked like my mother and I were saved. I should've known better though, because later on we found out that my father pulled some strings. As a result, I was still destined to take that ruddy Mark."

"So did you?" Hermione whispered, blinking back tears as an image of the late headmaster floated in her mind. Malfoy looked surprised to hear he wasn't alone in the room and leveled his gaze at her. He pushed up both his sleeves, revealing smooth, pale skin, but there was no sign of the Dark Mark.

Hermione subconsciously walked over to the Slytherin, kneeling in front of him and running her fingers softly on his forearms. When she was confident enough to feel no concealing charm on his arms, Hermione looked up to Malfoy's eyes, who was watching her.

"My mum finally realized that there's no way I can get out of receiving the Dark Mark, so she woke me one night and we ran away," he said. "We know my father would be after us as soon as he finds out we're gone, so we changed our hair colors and names before blending ourselves with people we know he'll never think to look for us: the muggles." Hermione continued to watch him, catching the pain in his eyes as he continued to talk.

"We changed all the galleons in our pockets into muggle money and we used it to find ourselves a little flat here in East London. We couldn't take out any money from our vault because my father would know about it instantly.

"Luckily for us, we had enough galleons in our pockets to make us comfortable for a few months, but those few months are slowly drawing near. Hence, I looked for a job and noticed the sign outside." Malfoy, who seemed to snap back to reality, stared deep into Hermione's eyes with an unreadable expression.

"Had I known you were working here, I would've ignored the sign," he said. Hermione glared at him and stood up.

"Had I known you were Matthew Geiger, I would've told Nancy to rip the application form," she shot back. Malfoy stood up.

"Look Granger, I _need _this job to take care of my mother. I'm not here to cause any trouble, so you can put your wand away. By denying that bloody Dark Lord, my mother and I have to hide until Potter kills his bony arse, but until then, we need to live. I'm not too thrilled about working with you, but I'm not going to turn down this job because of you. So we're going to have to learn to bloody work together whether you like it or not!" he yelled, his shoulders shaking from anger. Hermione, although unfazed by Malfoy's anger, still felt ashamed at her words.

"I'll send in a good word for you," she mumbled. But she couldn't help glare at him one more time.

"But step out of line and I _won't _hesitate to hex you. These muggles are good people, and I don't need _you _hurting them for your selfish needs," she hissed. Malfoy's lip curled.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he replied. Hermione gave him a small smile. Although she couldn't believe she was having a civilized conversation with Malfoy, she could understand how much he went through.

"Do you know anything about being a bartender?" Hermione suddenly asked. Malfoy looked surprised at her question, and Hermione was amazed to find his cheeks turn a slight shade of pink.

"I read books," he finally said. Hermione held back her laughter. After having the serious confrontation with Mafloy, it still felt inappropriate to laugh.

"Did you _try _mixing drinks from the books you've read?" Hermione asked again. Malfoy's cheeks continued to be tinted in pink.

"Yes, but my mother said they were awful. Then again, she prefers wizard champagne," he shrugged. This time, Hermione laughed, causing the now-brown-haired-boy to scowl.

"I'll give you a tip," she said, walking over to Gary's old locker and opening it. Inside, a slip of paper was wedged between a small opening at the door, and Hermione pulled it out. She walked over and passed the paper to Malfoy, who gave her a questioning look before unfolding the paper. Amazingly, the paper magically became a booklet.

"The former bartender was a muggle-born wizard, and he kept this right on his locker. It basically tells you the ingredients of each muggle drinks along with precise step-by-step instructions," Hermione explained. She grinned up at Malfoy.

"When he left, he dropped a note in my locker, telling me about the booklet and making sure to give it to the next bartender, because he knew no one will be better at bartending than him. So I hope that will help you," she said. Malfoy gave her a small smile.

"Thanks Granger. You know, for a bushy-haired know-it-all, you're not so bad," he said. Hermione's smile immediately faded, replacing it with a darker expression. Malfoy chuckled when he saw her expression change.

"I was joking Granger. Honestly, can't you take a joke?" he asked. Hermione scoffed at him, ignoring his question.

Deactivating the silencing charm, the quiet changing room was immediately surrounded by loud banging on the door. Hermione unlocked the door and opened it, stepping back when two of the restaurant's cooks, Joshua and Robbie, stumbled into the changing room and landing on her feet. Hermione laughed at the two boys at her feet, who immediately stood up and dusting themselves off. At the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy quickly folding the booklet (which turned into a piece of paper once more) and stuffing it inside his jeans pocket.

"What the bloody hell is going on Hermione? Nancy has been throwing a fit when she couldn't find you and the bartender bloke anywhere!" Joshua exclaimed. Hermione continued to laugh and jerked her head behind her, where Malfoy was shooting them bemused looks.

"I was merely having a talk with the bloke to see if he's up to Nancy's standards," she replied, shrugging. Robbie eyed her suspiciously.

"We've been knocking on that bloody door for the past few minutes. Didn't you hear?" he asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"No," she simply said. Robbie narrowed his eyes at her.

"We were so loud that the people eating outside were wondering what the commotion was about," he said. Before Hermione could reply, Nancy pushed her way between the two cooks and glared at Hermione.

"Have you been hiding the bartender from me?!" she cried. Hermione laughed, causing her manager to turn red in anger.

"No Nancy. I was merely testing him with his knowledge of mixing drinks," she replied. Nancy crossed her arms over her chest.

"First Hermione, that's _my _job. Second, _your _job was to send him in, _not _interrogate him. Third, you are _not _going to get paid for this," she hissed. Hermione pouted.

"If I say he can make a perfect blend of a Rum and Coke, will you change your mind?" she asked sweetly. Nancy pursed her lips.

"I hate you," was all Nancy said. Hermione grinned cheekily at her before turning to Malfoy, who was still shooting them amused looks.

"Mr. Geiger, Ms. Wilcox would like to see you now," she said, motioning towards Nancy, who blushed.

"Oh stop," she giggled helplessly. Nevertheless, she motioned for Malfoy to follow him, who had his eyes trained on Hermione.

"Thanks," he mouthed. Hermione smiled at him, giving him thumbs up in return before Nancy and Malfoy disappeared inside Nancy's office. Once inside, the two cooks turned to her.

"You seem chummy with the bloke. Do you know each other?" Joshua asked. Hermione snorted.

"Hardly," she replied, grabbing her apron and tying it around her waist. Robbie continued to stare at Hermione warily.

"You seem to know each other rather well," he said. Hermione ignored his stare.

"We just have a lot in common," she said. Before the two cooks could ask anymore questions, she turned to them, her hands on her hips.

"Now if you boys don't mind, I've got some work to do," she said before giving them a sweet smile and walking out into the restaurant, leaving the boys staring blankly at her.

--

Harry sat in front of the tree behind him and threw a rock at the Burrow's large pond, watching the water ripple when the rock made contact with the previously still water. Harry looked around him, and seeing no red-headed witch coming towards him, he leaned back on the tree, feeling the warm breeze of the summer day on his face and playing with his messy locks.

He had just narrowly missed another confrontation from Ginny, who managed to corner him on his way out with Ron. He was almost forced to "stand and talk" with Ginny right on the spot if it weren't for the twins, who happened to pass by and immediately made fun of their little sister by singing a song they made about "The Incident", as Harry has taken to calling it.

Ginny, face flushed with embarrassment, shrieked at her brothers to stop, who only sang the song louder while Ron guffawed. Within the Weasley sibling chaos, Harry managed to slip out unnoticed and dashed towards the garden, hiding behind the biggest tree he could find.

After a few minutes of silence, Harry came to the conclusion that Ginny can't find him, so he made himself comfortable by the tree, facing the pond and thinking about Hermione.

He couldn't explain why, but the more she spent her summer away from the Burrow, the more Harry missed her. He realized that he missed everything about her. He missed the way she was always there to support him. He missed hearing her beautiful laugh. He missed the way her pink lips would curl as she smiled beautifully at him. He missed the way her eyes would light up and her whole face would brighten when he would walk into the room. He missed the way she seemed to know what is on his mind, and sensing the way he feels just by glancing at him. He missed the way the room would brighten when she walks in. He missed her soft touches. He missed the way her hair would emit a smell of cherry blossoms and Hermione mixed together. He missed the feel of her lips against his cheek-

Harry stopped at the thought. He didn't actually think that, did he?

_Yes you did, _his inner voice taunted him. Harry felt himself blush.

_Not you again, _he thought, groaning inwardly.

_Face it Potter. You're in love with your best friend, _his inner voice said.

_I am not! _He thought.

_Liar, _his inner voice shot back.

_I'm not in love with Hermione. I just miss her, _he thought.

_Who would miss his best friend's touches and kisses? _His inner voice asked. Harry had no reply to that. He felt his inner voice smirk.

_Admit it Potter. You've fallen for her, and she's not even here, _his inner voice said, laughing. Harry shut his eyes and covered his ears.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," he mumbled to himself. A chuckle on his right made Harry's eyes open, and his head whipped towards the chuckle before breathing a sigh of relief.

"I think he's finally gone mad," Luna said, grinning at Harry. He grinned back at his two friends, who took a seat beside him.

"I was wondering where you ran off to," Ron said, gazing at the water. Harry shrugged.

"I'm not ready to talk to her," he replied. Luna look past Ron to Harry.

"Why?" she asked.

"Hermione's more important right now," Harry simply said. He didn't notice Ron and Luna exchange knowing looks.

"Speaking of Hermione, I got a letter from her today," Ron said, pulling out a parchment from his pocket. Harry immediately snatched the paper from Ron and began to read, his eyes moving across the parchment frantically. After a few minutes, he groaned in frustration and crumpled the paper.

"We're going to see her at Bill and Fleur's wedding!" he cried out, curling his fingers around the parchment. Ron gave him a weak smile.

"At least we'll see her," he said.

"That's not good enough!" he yelled, slamming his clenched fist along with the crumpled parchment on the grass, his voice making Ron and Luna jump.

"It's better than nothing mate," Ron said, slowly inching away from Harry. Harry glared at Ron.

"It would be better if she was _here with us_," he said through clenched teeth. Ron looked at Luna desperately for help. Nodding, Luna stood up and sat between Ron and Harry.

"Why is Hermione's absence bothering you so much Harry?" she asked. Harry took a few deep breaths to calm himself before answering.

"I miss her," he said quietly. Harry once again missed the knowing looks his two friends shared.

"Is that all?" Luna asked. Harry made a move to nod his head, but something made him pause.

_Is that all?_

"I-I don't know," Harry finally stammered. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, making it messier than usual.

"I guess I want her say in what I should do about Ginny," he said, although he knew that wasn't the real reason why he wanted Hermione's presence beside him.

"Harry, only you can decide what to do about Ginny. You know that, don't you?" Luna said. Harry said nothing, though he silently agreed with her.

"You should think about why you _really _want Hermione here Harry. Maybe you'll feel better once you find out," Luna continued.

"And talk to Ginny. She's all driving us bloody mad," Ron added. Harry chuckled before he turned to his friends.

"I'm sorry about blowing up just now," he said. Luna slipped her arm around Harry's shoulders.

"It's all right Harry. I'd be yelling too if Hermione wasn't answering my letters," she said. Realizing what she said, Luna covered her mouth with her hand. Harry's eyebrow shot upward.

"You've been writing to Hermione?" he asked. Ron, who was clearly just as surprised as Harry, turned his gaze to his girlfriend. Luna's face flushed.

"Y-yeah," she stammered, taking her arm away from Harry. The two boys continued to regard her warily.

"Has she been replying to you?" Ron asked, watching her with an unreadable expression. If possible, Luna's face got redder, but she said nothing. Noting her flushed face, realization hit Harry, and his jaw slowly dropped. Harry grabbed Luna's upper arms.

"What did she say to you Luna? You know why she's not here, don't you? Is she avoiding me? SAY SOMETHING!" he cried, firing question after question at the poor blonde. For once in her life, Luna's dreamy expression disappeared, fear replacing it.

"I can't!" she exclaimed, completely flustered. Seeing how scared Luna is, Harry loosened his grip on her arms, but didn't let go.

"Why not?" he asked calmly. His calm tone relaxed Luna somewhat, although she was still flustered.

"If I told you, I'd be breaking her trust. I gave her my word not to say anything to you, and although I hate seeing you like this Harry, I also can't just break Hermione's trust," she replied. Dejected, Harry dropped his hands from Luna's arms.

"She doesn't want to be our friend anymore Ron," Harry whispered, his face sorrowful. Ron gave Luna a questioning look, who shook her head.

"That's not it Harry," Luna said. When Harry look up at her, hope filled in his eyes, Luna closed his eyes and sent a silent message to Hermione.

_I'm sorry Hermione_, she thought before opening her eyes.

"You really _must _sort things out with Ginny," Luna finally said. Harry was confused.

"How is my problem with Ginny connected to Hermione?" he asked. Luna bit her lip.

"It's her only wish for you," she replied. Harry was even more confused.

"She's not dying, is she?" he asked. Ron snorted, causing Luna to shoot him a look.

"No, she's not dying," she said, her eyes still trained on Ron. Harry's eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Look Harry, Hermione is aware of the conflict between you and Ginny," Luna said. "Hermione can also feel the unbalance in the universe of that conflict like I do, and she said the only way to make the universe right again is if you face your unresolved issues with Ginny."

Harry and Ron shared a look at Luna's choice of words.

"That sounds like Divination Loony," Ron blurted out. Luna laughed.

"Hermione doesn't believe in Divination," Harry added. Luna shook her head, smiling at the two boys.

"You should really talk to Ginny," was all Luna said before standing up and, pulling Ron with her. When they left, Harry leaned on the tree once more.

_If sorting out my feelings for Ginny will bring you back Hermione, then I'll do it¸ _he thought.

--

_A/N: I'm sorry it took me this long to post up chapter 3! Ever since DH came it, everything was a mess! I didn't get the book until the week after it was released, then I kept putting off reading it because of the H/G moments (gag). And the fact that I'm still writing chapter 4 because of DH is putting me REALLY behind on my story, so I sincerely apologize for this delay!_

_For the events of DH... I could really care less about what happens in that book. As far as I'm concerned, the books no longer have a hold on my fanfics. I'm still in love with Harry/Hermione, and in my world, THEY end up together, not that OBHWF crap (though I must say I don't hate R/Hr as much as H/G). I hope you guys feel the same way as I do._

_Anyway, please R and R! You know how much I loff your reviews. (grins)_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: The HP Universe belongs to JKR, not me. If I did, I'd be a millionaire and buying myself these nice pair of Manolo Blahniks. Unfortunately, those will only happen in my dreams. P**_

_**I'd like to thank LiL AzN ShOrTy for being my beta, and if it wasn't for her, there probably wouldn't be a chapter 4 right about now.**_

_**P.S. IF YOU DIDN'T READ CHAPTER 3 YET, GO BACK AND READ IT BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER!**_

_**P.P.S. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN BEING MY BETA, PLEASE E-MAIL ME OR PM ME!!!!**_

**Chapter 4**

Seamus walked up the stairs that led to the door of the Grangers' dental office. He knew that although the office has closed at this time, the Grangers were still inside the office.

He knocked on the door, and then waited until he heard the lock turning. The door opened, revealing Olivia Granger.

"Hello Seamus," Olivia said, smiling. Seamus returned her smile.

"Hello Mrs. Granger. Very lovely to see you," he replied. It still amazes him how just two weeks ago, he didn't even know where the Grangers live. Now, not only does he spend enough time both in the Granger household AND the office, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were starting to treat him like a family member.

_At least they stopped thinking I was Hermione's boyfriend, _he chuckled inwardly.

Olivia stepped aside and opened the door wider, letting Seamus in. Olivia walked into the room on the right, where the dental clinic was located. The smell of antiseptic filled his nostrils as he stepped into the room. On the desk in front of the waiting room, Hermione was sitting and typing frantically on the computer. She was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't look up when they came in.

"Hermione's just working on our schedule for tomorrow. Why don't you wait for her until she's almost done?" Olivia said. At the sound of her mother's voice, Hermione looked up, saw Seamus, and beamed.

"Hi Seamus!" She exclaimed before turning her attention back to the computer screen. Seamus chuckled.

"Thanks Mrs. Granger," he said before taking a seat on one of the chairs. He watched as Olivia opened the door leading to the dental rooms. Seamus caught a glimpse of Hermione's father, Sebastian Granger, on the other side of the room.

Seamus leaned back on his chair. The sounds of paper being shuffled filled the air, and oddly, the sound soothed him. He looked around the dainty room. The Granger Dental Office was spacious yet simple, and the office emitted a friendly atmosphere. Flowers and plants filled every corner of the waiting room and behind the desk were Hermione sat, there was a little space where muggle toys were scattered on the floor, no doubt where the little kids would play. A television hung on the corner of the ceiling, though it was currently off since the dental office was now closed. A glass coffee table sat in the middle between the chairs, where a plant decorated the table and magazines stacked neatly on the table to entertain the clients while waiting to be called.

"Seamus?" Hermione's voice snapped Seamus out of his thoughts. He felt his cheeks grow hot upon seeing the three Grangers staring at him, amusement in their eyes.

"I – er… I was –" Seamus stammered. Sebastian and Olivia looked at each other, amused, while Hermione looked ready to burst out laughing.

"Are you just going to sit there and wait for tomorrow to come?" Hermione asked, holding out her hand. Seamus blushed harder, and, taking her hand, Hermione helped him stand up.

"Shall we get going then?" Sebastian asked. Three heads nodded.

"Right; let's go!" he exclaimed, pushing his wife and daughter (who was still holding Seamus' hand) out the door while the other three laughed.

This was one of the Grangers' daily routine that Seamus found himself to be surprisingly involved with. The more he spent time with Hermione and teaching her how to dance (he smiled proudly to himself, thinking about how Hermione had progressed so wonderfully in such a short span of time. She can now dance the Waltz blind-folded, and she's coming along nicely with the foxtrot), the more he found himself spending a lot of time in her house and her in his. While Hermione can now make a delightful Irish cuisine called Champ (courtesy of his mother), Seamus found himself eating dinner with Hermione and her parents whenever he would pick up Hermione for their dance lesson; sometimes they'd eat at a fancy restaurant, and other times at Hermione's house where Olivia would make a mouth-watering meal. Though it was by no means the same as Hogwarts, Olivia's cooking could rival it. Today was no exception.

"So, what do you kids want to eat?" Sebastian asked, shaking Seamus out of his thoughts.

"Are we eating out?" Hermione asked. Sebastian shook his head, grinning proudly.

"No Hermione darling; today, I will barbeque!" he exclaimed. Olivia rolled his eyes.

"The only cooking you can do," she replied, causing Hermione and Seamus to laugh. Sebastian clutched at his heart.

"You wound me Olivia," he said. Olivia laughed and kissed her husband on the cheek.

"Actually, would you mind if you saved some barbeque for Seamus and me? I'd really like to start on our dance lessons before I eat," Hermione said. Seamus looked at her in surprise.

"But we always eat at your house first before I teach you," he replied. Hermione scowled at him.

"And I find that I get a stomach ache after whenever we eat before we dance," she said. Seamus sighed and looked at the Grangers apologetically.

"Would it be a bother if we ate after we were done?" he asked. Olivia shook her head.

"It's no worries Seamus; I'm pretty sure that Sebastian here would burn up the meat first before he could really make any barbeque," Olivia said, winking. Sebastian glared at his wife.

"That's enough out of you," he said, wagging his finger at her. This caused all three of them to laugh again. Hermione kissed Olivia and Sebastian on the cheek.

"We won't be late!" she exclaimed, pulling Seamus and heading towards the direction of the studio. Once they turned the corner, Seamus raised an eyebrow at Hermione, who avoided his gaze.

"Would you mind telling me why you need to talk to me in private?" Seamus asked as they slowly walked together. Hermione blushed.

"How'd you know?" she asked. Seamus chuckled.

"I'd like to think I've gotten to know you well enough to see when you want to talk without your parents overhearing," he replied. Hermione smiled.

"I got a letter from Luna," she said. Seamus tried not to show his surprise. Last he remembered, Hermione thought Luna Lovegood was… well, loony. Apparently, there is still more to learn about Hermione Granger, no matter how close they're getting.

"We've been writing back and forth to each other," Hermione continued. "I asked Luna to watch over Harry; maybe give him a little push for Ginny's sake." She sighed.

"She wrote back to me saying that she 'accidentally' let it slip that Ginny's involve with my absence in The Burrow." Seamus raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" he asked. Hermione bit her lip.

"I do. I want Harry to fix this _thing _that he has with Ginny, but now I'm thinking, 'can I handle seeing them together _IF _they end up together?' What will I do then? It's not like I can just turn off my feelings for Harry like a light bulb. And if they _don't _end up together, Ginny will blame me for everything even though she knows I have nothing to do with Harry's situation and yeah, there's Luna but she's Luna and I'm only asking her to watch over Harry and not take over my job as the nagging friend of Harry's that will push him to the right direction, or in Ginny's case, _wrong _direction and –" Hermione stopped, blushing while Seamus watched her in amusement.

"I'm babbling again, aren't I?" she said. Seamus nodded. By now, they've reached the studio and Seamus was in the middle of unlocking the door. Once he got it opened, he let Hermione go in first, who immediately walked to the counter on the other side of the studio and plopped down on the chair. Seamus followed her, pulling out a spare chair and sitting on it, facing her.

"Okay, let's figure this out," he said. "Let's say that Harry finally figured out that in order for you to be back at The Burrow, he has to have an awkward 'talk' with Ginny about 'feelings'," he said comically, causing Hermione to giggle. Seamus grinned at this and continued.

"Let's say that he decided to give Ginny another chance. How would you feel?" A look of wonder passed Hermione's face.

"I've seen them together, and although it didn't shatter my heart, it was still uncomfortable to see them together," she replied. Seamus nodded.

"And now?" he asked. Hermione shrugged.

"It would hurt to see them together, yes, but what can I do? If Ginny makes Harry happy, then I won't stand in the way of that. Merlin knows Harry doesn't have enough happiness in his life, and I wouldn't dare ruin something that could possibly make him happy," she said. Seamus leaned back on his chair.

"You are a selfless woman Hermione," he said. She smiled softly at him in return. Seamus leaned forward again.

"Okay, so let's say that Harry decided he _doesn't _want to be with Ginny. What are you going to do?" he asked. Hermione blinked at him, acting like he just spoke a foreign language.

"I never even thought about that," she admitted. Seamus smirked.

"You're a selfless woman alright Hermione, but you can be as daft as Ron when you want to be," he said, earning him a smack on the arm.

"That's not funny Seamus!" she exclaimed, although her smile betrayed her words. Seamus stuck his tongue out at her.

"You never answered my question," he said. Hermione leaned forward, placing her chin on her palm.

"I don't know," she finally said after a few moments. "Harry might not even feel the same way as I do, and I would rather not ruin our friendship because I feel something more than just brotherly love for him." Seamus nodded his understanding.

"I say that whatever happens, let your heart make your decisions, not your head," he said. Hermione smiled at him.

"Thanks Seamus," she said. Seamus winked at her.

"Actually, now that we're sitting and talking, I have a few concerns about your dance lessons," he said. Hermione immediately looked worried.

"Am I getting worse?" she asked. Seamus shook his head.

"On the contrary, Hermione. As a matter of fact, you've progressed better than any student I ever taught in such a short span of time. But first, let me ask you. Do you want me to teach you just the ballroom dances? Or would you like to expand your dance lessons into Latin dances?" he asked.

"I'd like to learn the Latin dances as well, if it's not a bother," Hermione replied. Seamus nodded, leaning back on his chair once more.

"I'm asking these questions because your next dance lesson is the Tango," he said. Hermione's eyebrows furrowed.

"Is there a problem with Tango?" she asked. Seamus shook his head again.

"Let me explain a few things about Tango. This dance is an intimate dance, and it requires fiery passion from the couple dancing it," he said. Seamus crossed his arms.

"I was wondering if you will allow yourself to an intimate dance like the Tango with me." Seamus allowed Hermione to think about it for awhile as he got up and walked over to the sound system, going through the CDs to look for the appropriate songs to dance the Tango. He has no doubt Hermione would want to learn the Tango; he just wanted know if she trusts him enough to dance the Tango with her, or if she would prefer a partner that she would want to be openly intimate with on the dance floor – someone, perhaps, like Harry.

"Seamus," Hermione's voice broke Seamus' thoughts, and he turned to find Hermione standing behind him, wearing a breathtakingly beautiful smile.

"I'd love to dance the Tango with you," she said. Seamus smiled.

"Are you sure Hermione? Because you can say the word and I'll owl Harry right now," he said. Hermione shook her head.

"Right now Seamus, you're the one I trust more. If I were to dance the Tango with Harry, it wouldn't feel right because of everything that's going on right now," she replied. Seamus nodded and popped in the CD, pressing play.

"Well then, let's begin your Tango lesson," he said, offering a hand. Hermione smiled happily and, taking his hand, Seamus led them in the middle of the dance floor.

--

The once peaceful place called The Burrow was now a place full of people apparating in and out for the upcoming wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour. Bill and Fleur popped in one day, announcing that they want their wedding held at The Burrow, and from then on, all hell broke loose.

Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Delacour immediately bumped heads and began planning the wedding, much to Fleur's horror. She then joined the two women, and ever since then, people kept coming in and out of The Burrow; from florists to chefs.

Although it seems like The Burrow is getting more and more crowded everyday, the excitement and anticipation for the wedding was contagious, and along with Mrs. Weasley putting Harry, Ron, Luna and Ginny to work in preparing the backyard for the wedding, all thoughts of Hermione were kept to a minimum in Harry's mind, though the thought of her never left him.

The moment he realized he must talk to Ginny to get Hermione back to The Burrow, he found it hard to find a moment alone with Ginny as soon as Bill and Fleur came. Harry found it ironic that last week, all he had to do was stand and Ginny would come to him, demanding to "talk". Now that Bill and Fleur's wedding preparation were in the works, Harry couldn't even find a place to pull Ginny and have that bloody talk, considering how every place and corner of The Burrow was filled with either decorations or people decorating.

Harry tried not to show his frustration to everyone, but was delighted to throw his frustration at the gnomes as soon as Mrs. Weasley gave him and Ron the task of de-gnoming the garden.

"Bloody hell mate, is there something wrong?" Ron asked when Harry tied the gnome with a string and threw the gnome in the air, only to pull the string to get the gnome back and throw it in the air again. Harry threw the gnome one last time into the air, releasing the rope and watched the gnome fly off in satisfaction.

"Why would you say that?" he asked, trapping another gnome by stepping on it. Ron watched as Harry picked up the new gnome, then dropping it before kicking it up in the air and catching it once more before throwing it as far as he can. Ron winced when he heard a sickening crunch echoing after awhile.

"You're being rather cruel to the gnomes, don't you think?" he said, after catching himself one.

"They're nasty little buggers and they deserve to get thrown around like a doll," Harry replied, glaring at a gnome who squeaked and ran off to the hedge. Ron smirked.

"You haven't talked to Ginny, have you?" he asked. At the mention of his ex-girlfriend, Harry clenched his teeth.

"IT'S BLOODY ANNOYING THAT NOW WHEN I WANT TO TALK TO HER, I CAN'T GET HER ALONE!" he screamed. Ron cringed.

"No need to yell Harry and tell the world about what you want to do," he replied. He watched when Harry whipped the gnome on the wall before peeling it off the wall and throwing it into oblivion.

"If you want to talk to Ginny, then best you do it now," Ron said. Harry whipped around, facing him.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. Ron shrugged nonchalantly and grabbed the squeaking gnome off Harry's hands.

"Mum made Luna and Ginny change the bed sheets today, but she made them do that yesterday, so I'm pretty sure Luna and Ginny are in Ginny's room," he said, throwing the gnome. Once he turned back to Harry, he was already gone.

--

"We need to talk."

Ginny and Luna immediately stopped talking and turned to Harry, who stood at Ginny's doorway. Luna, who was sitting cross-legged beside Ginny's bed, turned red upon seeing Harry and excused herself from the room. Ginny, who was on her bed lying on her stomach, sat up and watched the dirty-blonde leave, then raised an eyebrow at Harry.

Harry walked inside the room before closing the door and then turned to Ginny.

"We need to talk." He repeated. By then, Ginny stood up from her bed and was slowly making her way to Harry, smiling prettily.

"It's about bloody time," she said before pulling Harry's head and kissed him hard on the lips. Although every part of his body screamed to pull away, Harry couldn't stop his lips from responding to hers. Suddenly, Hermione's smiling face flashed into his mind, and the thought of Hermione pulled Harry back to reality and he tore his lips from Ginny's.

"That's _not _what I wanted to talk to you about," he said calmly, glaring daggers at Ginny as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Ginny was panting from the kiss, but she matched his glare with her own.

"Isn't that why you wanted to talk about? Us being together again?" she asked. She stepped closer to Harry.

"Isn't that what you want?" she asked, her brown eyes boring into his. Harry looked away.

"No." Ginny's jaw dropped.

"_NO?!_" she shrieked. Harry shook his head, still averting her eyes.

"But – but I thought – you and I – I thought you loved me?" Ginny stammered. Harry finally looked at her, his face unreadable.

"I never said I loved you," he said. Ginny looked like she'd been slapped.

"But Harry – _I _love you – we had fun together!" she exclaimed, and Harry can tell Ginny was struggling to compose herself.

"Exactly! What we had was _fun_, but that's all it will ever be," Harry said. He looked into Ginny's brown eyes, and although hers were the same colour as Hermione's, he realized that Hermione's brown eyes suited her better than Ginny's, which were a tad too dark for her pale complexion.

_Not to mention Hermione's eyes sparkle so beautifully, _Harry thought unconsciously.

"I'm sorry Ginny. I just don't feel the same way with you as you feel about me," he said softly. As soon as the words left Harry's mouth, Ginny's eyes welled up in tears before they hardened.

"Have you been talking to Hermione?" she asked tightly. This sudden change in Ginny made Harry suspicious, but he made sure not to let his suspicion show.

"No, I haven't," he replied. "I've been trying to send her letters this whole time, but she keeps sending my letters back unopened. Why do you ask?" Harry watched Ginny's face softened. He grew even more suspicious.

_She's hiding something,_ he thought.

"Oh it's nothing," Ginny said, giving him a strained smile. Harry watched as Ginny walked over to her door and opened it. "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

"It depends," Harry said. "Are we okay? Because I _do _love you Ginny, but only as a friend. Hopefully we can still be friends." Ginny's forced smile fell off her face and sighed.

"I don't know yet Harry," she said. "I've just had my heart broken by the guy I've loved for so long. I don't know if we can be friends yet, so you have to give me some time. Is that okay?" Harry nodded.

"I understand," he said. He walked towards the door, then stopped and turned to Ginny, bending down to kiss her on the cheek.

"I'll always care about you; I hope you know that," he said. A genuine smile made its way on Ginny's face, and he couldn't help but smile softly back at her.

"I know Harry," she replied. Harry gave her one last smile before leaving her room.

--

_I'm SOOOO sorry for the long update! Actually, I've got most of the story written out, it's just that I need a beta reader before I can post it, so like I said: IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN BEING MY BETA READER, PLEASE E-MAIL OR PM ME!!!!_

_Anyway, you guys know the drill: PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews make me smile._

References:

1. Hermione's parents' names were taken from Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night. _I thought since Hermione's names derived from a Shakespeare Play, why not make her parents have the same history?

2. The Granger office is based on my dentist's office.

3. I honestly don't know anything about Champ, since I'm asian. So if you're Irish and Champ isn't even a cuisine... I'm sorry if I offended you. I researched Irish cuisine and Champ came up; hopefully I wouldn't offend any of you TOO much.

4. Ginny and Luna changing sheets were taken from (surprise surprise) DH. Thought it fit into my story nicely.


	5. Chapter 5

_I am SOOOOOOOOOOO sorry it took me THIS long to get chapter 5 up! After not finding a beta reader for a REEALLLLYY long time, I ended up with a ridiculously HUGE writer's block, so that hindered my writing for quite some time. Luckily, I managed to get my muse writing again and now I'm back!_

_I'd also like to thank Azn Shortii for coming back to be my beta reader again! You're freggin' amazing, you know that?_

_Okay, enough of my babbling. Here's chapter 5!!_

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. Because if I did, it wouldn't end up a disaster I call the "epilogue".**

**--**

**Chapter 5**

Open House is the place to go on Thursday evenings. Every muggle knows that when you're feeling down or blue, head off to Open House on Thursday evenings to cheer you right up. Not only is there a bar for you to drink your sorrows away, but when it's a Thursday night, the employees at Open House would call the night:

"Entertainment Night!" Nancy yelled through the loud music. Hermione laughed, and, carrying her tray of drinks, she worked her way through the busy dance floor to a booth, where Seamus was sitting alone but grinning from ear to ear. Hermione set her tray down on the table and slid along the seat across from him, her own face breaking out into a smile.

"So this is entertainment night!" Seamus yelled. Hermione nodded, watching the couples dancing on the floor. Entertainment night differs every week. One week it would be karaoke, then next week it would be a stand-up comedy. This week, Nancy thought it was time to make their customers "dance until they're hot and bothered."

"I'd ask you to dance with me, but my shift isn't over yet and I don't know how to dance like them," Hermione yelled back at Seamus, pointing at the crowd where everyone was grinding against each other. Seamus cringed at the sight.

"It looks like one major love-making fest in there!" he yelled, then blushed when the music stopped and his voice carried out after saying "love-making fest in there!" Hermione laughed, then watched as Nancy stepped onto a raised platform while everyone walked back to their seats. Nancy grabbed a microphone that Caroline, another waitress and Hermione's colleague, handed over. Hermione watched as Nancy turned on the microphone.

"As you all know, it's a tradition here at Open House to have our employees join in on our Entertainment Night," Nancy began, her voice carrying off to the restaurant.

"Last week, we got Robbie, one of our chefs, to sing 'Dancing Queen' on karaoke. Now, it's time for two of our employees to dance on the dance floor!" she exclaimed, causing everyone to clap in enthusiasm. Hermione couldn't help but laugh. This was all part of Nancy's "brilliant" plan to attract more customers for Open House. Getting the employees to join Entertainment Night, according to Nancy, would make the customers feel much more at ease with the employees and would therefore join in the festivities.

Hermione remembered the first time she participated in Entertainment Night. She was still new to the job when Nancy called on her to be Gary's "assistant" as he performs "magic tricks". That's how Hermione found out about Gary being a muggle-born wizard; her eyes nearly fell out of her sockets when she heard him mutter _orchideous _through the wand he has hidden in his sleeve to produce a bouquet of flowers. It had been fortunate for Gary when Nancy chose Hermione to be his assistant; together, they made one dynamic "magicians".

"This week, we'll have two of our employees dance the Tango," Nancy said, and Hermione looked at Seamus and shared a smile. Although Hermione was still learning to dance the tango (she is now an expert at head turning and feet movements, so Seamus is currently teaching her how to put it all together as well as adding the emotion and intimacy that makes the tango), the level of comfort between Seamus and Hermione grew to such an extent that Hermione is confident that they could change clothes in front of each other and neither would even as much as bat an eyelash.

"And those two employees are…" Nancy trailed off while Caroline stepped onto the platform once more, holding two hats filled with bits of paper. Nancy put her hand in one of the hats and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Matthew for the guys," she said, and Hermione smiled when Draco emerged from the crowd, his face red. Hermione couldn't believe it, but she found herself enjoying Draco's company. Hermione would usually spend her time in the bar to talk to Gary whenever she's on break, and it was out of habit that she found herself sitting on the bar and facing Draco during one of her breaks.

Surprisingly, Draco treated her cordially, and Hermione soon found herself having a pleasant conversation with Draco Malfoy. It didn't take long before Draco and Hermione became (dare she say it?) good friends.

And although Seamus and Draco have encountered each other a few times and were actually civil to each other due to Hermione, she can tell that the Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry made Seamus and Draco become nothing more than to be civilized to each other. As for friendship, both scoffed at the idea when Hermione approached them about the subject.

"And for the girls…" Nancy's loud voice broke Hermione's thoughts and watched while Nancy pulled a piece of paper from the other hat. "Hermione!"

Hermione blinked. Did she just hear…?

"Hermione! Get your pretty arse on the dance floor!" Nancy yelled on the microphone, and everyone laughed while they looked at Hermione, who immediately snapped out of it and stood up to glare at Nancy.

"You'll pay for that Wilcox!" Hermione yelled back, causing the crowd to laugh harder while Nancy smirked at her. Realizing her situation once more, she looked back at Seamus, who winked at her in response. She walked towards Draco, who wasn't looking too good either.

"Can you dance the tango?" Draco asked as soon as she was in front of him. Hermione nodded.

"Just a bit though," she replied. Draco took her hand while Hermione placed her left hand on his shoulder.

"That's good enough," he said. Hermione tried to calm her nerves when she felt Draco slide his other hand on her waist. She wouldn't feel so nervous if Draco and her weren't dancing the tango, but they were, and the only person she felt comfortable to dance the tango was Seamus.

"Do you know how to dance the tango?" Hermione squeaked out. Draco raised an eyebrow at the sound of her voice, and Hermione must have seen the nervousness in her eyes because Draco's face broke into a soft smile. Then it was gone in an instant.

"Don't worry Granger, you're in good hands," was all he said. Hermione opened her mouth to reply when a song fit to dance a tango filled the restaurant air. When Draco began to lead, Hermione instantly lost all her nervousness as she tried to match Draco's steps. She was amazed to see how Draco danced the tango with such ease and charisma that for awhile, she felt that she must looked like a fool dancing with someone who is clearly more experienced at dancing the tango.

When Draco dipped her in time with the music, she heard him whisper, "you're doing fine Granger," in her ear before bringing her back up with such force that Hermione found her whole body against Draco's, her face inches away from his. Surprising herself, Hermione realized what to do next. She pushed away from Draco and immediately, they fell in step with the music, matching each other's steps. Draco twirled her, and Hermione immediately found her place after, never falling out of step with Draco and followed his lead with fluid steps that Hermione swore Seamus never taught her.

Before the song ended, Draco twirled her one last time before dipping her once more, Hermione's back arching while Draco's knee supported her. They stayed that way until the music faded away, and the crowd erupted with loud applause and catcalls that Hermione blushed as Draco pulled her back up, turning red once more.

"I thought you said you only knew a bit?" Draco muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Hermione to hear. Hermione blushed harder.

"I do," she muttered back, and all conversation between them stopped when Nancy's face emerged in front of them.

"I don't know whether I should be jealous or congratulate you two, so I'll do neither and tell you both to get back to work!" she exclaimed, but smiled and winked at them, telling both Draco and Hermione her real feelings about their dance. When the music started up again, Draco and Hermione made their way to the booth where Seamus sat while the dance floor filled with people dancing once more. Once at the booth, Seamus grinned at Hermione.

"Well done you two! Blimey Hermione, I surely didn't teach you how to move like that, but it was amazing!" he exclaimed. Hermione grinned.

"It was all Draco really; I just followed him," she said. Seamus raised an eyebrow at Draco, who shrugged, his cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink.

"My mother taught me how to ballroom dance when I was a kid," he said. Hermione swore she saw Seamus' ears perked up at the words "ballroom dance" and "kid".

"So what else can you dance?" he asked. Draco shrugged again.

"Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quick step, Swing, and a bit of Salsa," he replied. Hermione was now sure she could see Seamus' mind working a mile a minute.

"How would you like to drop by my studio sometime? You could help me teach Hermione how to dance the Salsa," he said. Now it was Draco's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"You own a dance studio?" he asked. Seamus nodded.

"And you were the one who taught Hermione how to dance the tango?" Seamus nodded again.

"So what dances do _you _know?" Draco asked.

"I know everything you named plus the Rumba, Samba, Salsa, Jive and Cha Cha," Seamus replied, ticking them off one by one with his fingers. Draco looked impressed.

"And you're teaching Hermione all of these?" he asked. Hermione nodded. Draco chuckled.

"Always wanting to learn, huh Granger?" he said. Hermione stuck her tongue playfully at him.

"So will you come by and help me teach Hermione?" Seamus asked. Draco raised a shoulder.

"Depends," he said. "Do I get paid?" Seamus smirked.

"No." Seamus replied. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Why would I want to help you teach Granger if I'm not even getting paid?" he asked. Hermione turned to Draco.

"First of all, you'd be helping _me _out as a partner," she said. "Second, you'll be helping Seamus with teaching _me _how to dance the other dances and lastly – "

"All right, all right! Blimey Granger, you can have people's ears fall off whenever you babble like that," Draco said. Hermione looked hurt.

"I wasn't babbling," she muttered, slumping into her chair.

"So you'll help me out?" Seamus asked. Draco looked back at Hermione, who was now pouting with her arms crossed over her chest, then turned back to Seamus.

"You've got a deal," he said. Seamus looked back at his new best friend, who now consulted to glaring daggers at him.

"Hermione, you just found yourself a new partner! And I can now fully demonstrate to you the dances before teaching them all to you," he said, bouncing happily on his seat. Hermione sat up, a new thought occurring in her mind.

"But who'll be _your _partner?" Hermione asked. Seamus' eyes twinkled mysteriously.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said. Hermione opened her mouth to demand Seamus to tell her what he's talking about that instant, when she heard Nancy's voice over the loud music.

"Will Hermione Granger and Matthew Geiger get their lazy arses out of wherever they are sitting and get on with their job? They are not getting paid to sit!" Nancy yelled through the microphone, causing Hermione and Draco to wince.

"We better get back to work before Nancy starts drinking all your liquor at the bar," Hermione said, pushing Draco to slide from the booth. She turned back to Seamus, who was smiling pleasantly at her.

"This conversation is _far _from over Finnegan," she said. Then she smiled back. "Anymore drinks?" Seamus laughed.

"I'd like another Manhattan, please and thank you," he replied. Hermione turned back to Draco, who was watching them in amusement.

"You heard the bloke! I need one Manhattan!" Hermione exclaimed to Draco, who just shook his head and headed off towards the bar. Hermione winked at Seamus, who continued to laugh, before following Draco and disappearing into the crowd.

--

Hermione trudged up the stairs to her room, exhaustion slowly taking over her body. Now that the rush of Entertainment Night (Draco and Hermione danced two more times, and Seamus took over after Draco had to go back to the bar) was fading away, Hermione gathered as much strength as she could muster to be able to get home.

Hermione yawned loudly as she finally made it on top of the stairs (_I never realized how long our staircase was, _Hermione mused) and walked slowly to her room, her legs feeling like lead. She silently cursed herself for not having enough strength to change from her work clothes; she went home still dressed in her white blouse and black flared skirt. Instead of plopping down on her bed and sleep the night away, she'd have to get out of her work clothes before she can do any plopping on any bed.

"At least it'll give me the chance to change into my pajamas," Hermione muttered to herself as she gathered up her strength once more to open the door to her room. Once she got it opened, however, all exhaustion left her body and Hermione stood frozen on her doorway, staring wide-eyed at the person sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked incredulously, blinking rapidly. What in Merlin's beard is Ginny doing on her bed? Ginny stood up from Hermione's bed and stood up in front of her, a small smile on her face.

"Hi Hermione," she said. Then Ginny motioned at the bags on the corner of Hermione's room; Hermione cursed herself once more for not seeing the bags as she turned to look at Ginny once more. Ginny shrugged.

"Mind if I stay here with you for awhile?"

--

Harry barged inside Ron's room and immediately smirked when Ron and Luna scrambled to get off each other.

"You know, for a bloke who can legally do magic now, you sure are slow at locking the door," Harry said. Ron gave him a murderous glare.

"You know, there's a sock on the doorknob, and we _had _this talk about socks on doorknobs you git," Ron replied. Harry looked down at the doorknob, and sure enough, Ron's sock was hanging on it. Harry chuckled.

"And here I thought you were just airing them out," he said, causing the red-head's ears to turn red.

"What do you want you wanker?!" he yelled. Harry tried hard not to snicker at Ron's temper.

"Actually, I came in here – ("more like barged in," Harry heard Ron mutter under his breath) – to talk to Luna about Hermione," Harry said, staring at Luna, who blinked out of her dreamy state.

"Is there something wrong?" Luna asked. Harry shook his head.

"I just wanted to know if you've heard from Hermione recently," he said. It was Luna's turn to shake her head.

"I owled her this morning, though I wouldn't be hearing from her after a day or so," she said. Harry nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Will you let me know when you're going to write to her?" Harry asked. Luna's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Harry, is there something going on that you're not telling me?" she asked. Harry shrugged nonchalantly.

"I had that bloody talk with Ginny," he said. Ron looked surprised while Luna raised an eyebrow.

"So how did that go?" Ron asked. Harry sighed and walked over to his bed, plopping down on it.

"She thought our relationship had a future," he said. "She planted in her mind that I was in love with her, but it's like she was living in a dream world and ignored everything that she did not see fit in that dream world of hers, so I had to set her straight." Harry looked at Ron, concern written all over his eyes.

"I hope you're not angry with me Ron," he said. Ron shook his head.

"I told you mate; I'm rather relieved that you don't want to get back with my sister," he replied. Harry smiled briefly at Ron before standing up and started pacing back and forth in the room.

"Now that I've completed my talk with Ginny, I need to tell Hermione, but she won't answer my owls. So," he stopped pacing and turned once more to Luna, who blinked up at him, "I need _you _to add in my letter along with yours when you owl Hermione again."

"But Harry – "

"Don't worry, I don't think Hermione would throw away your letter because my letter will be hidden inside of yours, so she'll see your letter first and she won't hesitate to open it."

"I know that, but Harry – "

"But when she does though, my letter will fall, then she'll have no choice but to read my letter since she'll most likely think that my letter is a continuation of yours – "

"Harry!"

Harry stopped talking and glanced at Ron, who rolled his eyes.

"Luna wants to say something, but you keep interrupting her!" he exclaimed. Harry blushed and turned to Luna, who shot him an amused smile.

"Err – you were saying Luna?" Harry asked. Luna giggled.

"I was just going to point out that you don't need to sneak your letter in with mine when I write to Hermione," she said. Harry looked confused.

"Why?" he asked. Luna grinned happily.

"I can just write on my letter about your little 'talk' with Ginny," she said. Harry blinked.

"Well, I guess _someone _didn't think his whole plan through," Ron piped in. Harry glared at him.

"You're just moody because I interrupted your snog session with Luna," Harry shot back. Ron's eyes narrowed, and the next thing Harry knew, Ron was standing in front of him.

"Thank you for reminding me about that," he said. "Now is there anything else you want from my girlfriend?"

"I'm your girlfriend?" Luna's small voice made the two boys turn their attention to her, smiling at Ron with a glossy look. Ron's ears turned red once more.

"If you want to be my girlfriend," Ron replied. Luna squealed and lunged herself at Ron, raining kisses on his face.

"I'd.Love.To.Be.Your.Girlfriend.Ronald." Luna said after each kiss. Ron's face now turned red while Harry watched the scene in amusement. Remembering that Harry was still in the room, Ron gently put Luna back down and turned to his best friend.

"If you'll excuse me mate, I'd like some time alone with my girlfriend," he said before shoving Harry out the door and closing it. Harry could hear a faint sound of the lock clicking, before everything went silent.

Harry smirked.

_It's about time you put the silencing charm, _he thought. Once Harry realized that he's alone, a wave of sadness hit him that he almost lost balance. Harry leaned against the wall beside Ron's room, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees.

_Hermione, _he thought longingly. He let his mind wander into his thoughts of Hermione, unable to stop his heart from aching.

_Do you realize _now _that you're in love with Hermione? _His inner voice said. Harry groaned.

_Why do you insist that I am? _He asked, clearly irritated at himself and his inner voice.

_You don't even know _why _you miss her for Merlin's sake! Be honest with yourself for once! _His inner voice shot back. Harry tried to think of something to argue with his inner voice, but he realized that indeed, he didn't know _why _he missed Hermione so much.

Harry thought hard to find an explanation as to why Hermione's absence is driving him insane. The first thing that popped into his mind was: _I need her. _

But _why _exactly does he need her? Harry thought of a million reasons why he needed her, but none of them explained as to why he needed her _right beside him _at _this _moment.

Harry's eyes widened at the realization that finally seemed to slap him on the face.

_I _AM _in love with Hermione! _Harry thought, and although he was shocked at this realization, he couldn't help but feel that being in love with his best friend felt as natural as breathing. Suddenly, he understood why he didn't want to be with Ginny anymore, and that Hermione's absence felt like someone ripped his heart out right from his chest.

And for the first time since Harry came to the Burrow, he felt his lips curve into a smile.

Harry stood up, a determined look in his eyes. It doesn't matter if he has to turn the Burrow upside down. He'll find himself a parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink and he'll write his letter to Hermione to give to Luna.

Because all of a sudden, he couldn't wait to tell Hermione how he felt about her.

--

_I hope you guys like this chapter! And don't forget to R&R! It keeps me writing you see. (grins)_


	6. Chapter 6

_I know that I left a rather important cliffhanger on the last chapter, and I must warn you that this chapter will not do that cliffhanger any justice. If you want the long, boring explanation, this chapter was written during the time I had my writer's block, so I think you'll all be able to tell the parts where I attempted to write during my writer's block._

_Anyway, this is what came out and I'm not too happy with it. But I firmly believe that if I try to fix it, it'll come out worse than it already is. So hopefully you guys will go easy on me with this chapter because I can assure you that chapter 7 will make up for this ridiculous chapter._

_So I guess all that's left to say is enjoy the chapter (I hope)!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the HP universe. Oh but if I did…**

**Chapter 6**

"Ginny, how'd you get in here?" Hermione asked faintly as she eyed the one person she was trying to avoid sitting on her bed. Ginny shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"Your mum let me in," she replied. Hermione continued to stare at Ginny.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked. Ginny looked away.

"I needed to get away from The Burrow for a bit," she said. Hermione's eyebrow rose at that.

"Why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Ginny continued to avoid Hermione's eyes.

"I just – Can I just stay with you for awhile? Please?" she asked. Hermione sighed.

"Does anyone know you're here?" she asked. When Ginny refused to answer, Hermione's jaw dropped as she realized what Ginny was implying.

"Ginny!" she shrieked. This time, Ginny looked at Hermione with pleading eyes.

"I know, I know! It's a bad move on my part, but I need some time away from The Burrow!" she exclaimed. The moment Ginny looked at Hermione, realization dawned on her. Hermione moved to her bed and sat beside the red-haired girl.

"This is about Harry," she stated. Ginny closed her eyes and nodded.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. Ginny let out a breath.

"He broke up with me," she replied. Hermione immediately went into defence mode.

"Listen Ginny, I had nothing to do with his decision—" Ginny held up a hand, causing Hermione to stop mid-sentence.

"Hermione, _I _need to apologize to you," she said. "It was wrong of me to tell you to stay away from Harry, and I'm sorry for doing that to you. It was unfair for you and I went too far with it. Can you forgive me?"

Hermione's eyes softened at her friend's words. She wrapped an arm around Ginny, who looked about ready to sob uncontrollably.

"I forgive you," she said. Ginny smiled and wiped her eyes.

"I should've known he wouldn't want to get back together," she sniffed. "The whole time he was at The Burrow, he kept avoiding me whenever I tried to talk to him." Hermione rolled her eyes at this.

"Boys," they muttered at the same time, causing the two girls to giggle helplessly. Ginny smiled at Hermione.

"Thanks Hermione, for being true to your word even though I was being unreasonable in keeping you away," she said. Hermione shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Ginny. As a matter of fact, I should thank you for your sudden decision," Hermione grinned. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Did something happen?" she asked. Hermione laughed and flopped on her bed.

"I'm just having a really great summer is all," Hermione replied. Ginny continued to watch her curiously.

"Speaking of which, what _have _you been doing these past few weeks?" Hermione sighed happily, thinking about Seamus and (as crazy as it sounds) Draco.

"So much has happened that I have no idea where to start," she said. Hermione can tell without looking that she's got Ginny's full attention by now, and she wasn't mistaken when Ginny laid down on the bed beside her.

"Are you going to tell me or not? Spill Hermione! What have you been up to? Are you dating someone? Been anywhere beautiful lately? I'm dying here!" Ginny exclaimed, all thoughts of Harry gone from her face. Hermione laughed.

"Before I tell you anything, I just want to know how long you're going to stay here without Mrs. Weasley calling for a search party," she said. Ginny frowned.

"I-I don't know," she stammered. Hermione stood up and turned to the red-haired girl, who was looking at her sheepishly.

"Ginny, you _can't _stay here and not let Mrs. Weasley know! She'll blow a gasket! And you don't even _know _how long you're going to stay at my house!" she shrieked. Hermione sat back down beside Ginny and turned to her once more. "As much as I love for you to stay here with me, I can't just let you stay here without Mrs. Weasley knowing. Not only will you be in trouble, but I will most likely be on the receiving end on Mrs. Weasley's wrath if I let you stay here with me without talking to her," she said. Ginny sighed.

"Would it be okay if I just stayed with you today? I'll go home the next day," Ginny pleaded. Hermione hesitated, looking at the girl that kept her from her friends.

_But if it weren't for her, you wouldn't even be aware of your feelings with Harry, let alone spending a wonderful summer overall with Seamus and Draco, _her inner voice said. And with that, Hermione made her decision.

"All right Ginny, you can stay," she said. She laughed when Ginny let out a squeal and hugged her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you Hermione!" she screamed in Hermione's ear, making her wince.

"Not directly in my ear Ginny!" she exclaimed, but continued to laugh. Ginny finally released her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Okay, so you were saying about how wonderful your summer is?" she asked. Hermione shook her head in amusement.

"Nothing ever gets pass you," she said. When Ginny raised an eyebrow at her, Hermione was suddenly hit with an idea.

"You know what? Why don't I just show you tomorrow?" she asked. Ginny's jaw dropped.

"You're not even going to tell me?!" she cried. Hermione shrugged.

"You'll find out anyway," she replied before standing up once more to change out of her work clothes and leaving a pouting Ginny in her room.

--

"Ginny! Wake up!" Ginny's eyes snapped open, revealing Hermione's stern face. Looking at her clock which read 9:00, Ginny yawned and turned away from Hermione.

"It's nine o'clock Hermione. Too early," she mumbled, closing her eyes. She distinctly heard Hermione sigh.

"Well I've got to get to work, so you can stay here and wait for me until I'm done," she said. At this, Ginny immediately sat up.

"You've got work?!" she cried. Seeing Ginny wide awake, Hermione smirked.

"Yes I've got work, now hurry up and change if you want to come along," she replied. Ginny mumbled something inappropriate before getting off the bed and grabbing some clothes to take in the bathroom. Hermione watched her friend in amusement.

_This is going to be an _interesting _day,_ she thought to herself.

--

"So this is where you work?" Ginny asked, looking up at the sign of Open House. Hermione grinned and grabbed Ginny's arm, dragging her inside.

"Yes it is! Now come on; we've got to eat breakfast before my shift starts," she said. Once inside, Ginny couldn't help but inhale the mouth-watering aroma that floated around the restaurant.

"Hermione!"

Ginny turned just in time to see a young, attractive and petite woman walking towards them, clutching a clipboard.

"_What _are you doing here so early? Your shift doesn't start for another hour!" she shrieked. Hermione grinned.

"Simple: I want breakfast," she said. The young woman clucked her tongue.

"You _do _realize that the breakfast will be coming out of your pay," she said. Hermione shrugged.

"You win some; you lose some," was all she said before turning to Ginny, who was watching their conversation in amusement.

"Nancy, meet my good friend Ginny Weasley." She said. "Ginny, meet my wonderful yet eccentric- ('Hey!') –boss, Nancy Wilcox." Ginny smiled and held out a hand at Nancy.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said. Nancy took her hand and shook it.

"Like I always say, 'any friend of Hermione's is a friend of mine!'" Seeing Hermione's raised eyebrow, Nancy shrugged. "Err… Or something. But anyway..," she looked back at Ginny and Ginny felt like she was being scrutinized.

"Are you Seamus' girlfriend?" Nancy's question threw Ginny off-guard.

"S-Seamus?" she stammered. Nancy frowned.

"I guess not," she said. Then she turned to Hermione. "I'm guessing she doesn't know Seamus then?"

"Oh she does," Hermione replied. "But they're not dating. Where'd you get _that _idea?" Nancy shrugged again, looking at Ginny once more.

"She looks like his type," was all she said. Ginny blushed, though she didn't really know why. Hermione watched her friend in amusement before turning to Nancy.

"Hey Nancy, can Ginny stay with me for the day?" she asked. Nancy groaned.

"Hermione, we're not running a bloody daycare here you know," she said. Hermione smirked.

"Then you're lucky Ginny's not 5 years old," she replied before winking at Ginny. Ginny giggled in return.

Without waiting for Nancy to reply, Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand and headed towards a booth, where she slid into the seat with Ginny following suit. A moment later, a pretty brunette walked over to their table, smiling prettily at them.

"So, what'll it be?" she asked. Hermione looked at the girl with a similar smile on her face.

"Two of my usual Amy," she replied. Ginny watched as Amy scribbled something on her little notepad before looking up and smiling at them again.

"You got it!" she exclaimed before walking away. However, she stopped mid-walk and turned around, smiling once more – but this time staring straight at Ginny.

"I'm Amy, by the way, since Hermione was nice enough to introduce us," she said, her pretty smile turning into a smirk as she moved her gaze over to Hermione, who blushed.

"I love you Amy," was all Hermione said. Amy laughed at Hermione's embarrassed look before walking away. Ginny looked at her friend in amazement. Never, in all the times she's known Hermione, has she ever seen her so laid back – and looking absolutely radiant.

As she watched Hermione talk to her about the people she works with, Ginny couldn't help but notice the way Hermione's eyes twinkled, or how Hermione hasn't stopped smiling ever since they stepped foot in the restaurant. She then wondered what brought such joy in Hermione's life.

Although Ginny was ashamed of it, she assumed that Hermione would be brooding and sulking about how she's unable to spend time with Harry and Ron, but she should've known that something was different with Hermione the moment she discovered her sitting on her bed last night.

"Ginny."

Ginny snapped out of her thoughts in time to see Hermione's joyful face gone, only to be replaced by an anxious look.

"There's something you should know," she said, staring at something on Ginny's right. Curious, Ginny followed Hermione's gaze and turned to see a rather good-looking brown-haired boy heading towards the bar, where Nancy was currently lounging. Ginny tilted her head. There's something eerily familiar about the boy…

…And then it hit her like a ton of bricks when Nancy pointed in their direction and Ginny got a good look at the boy.

"Malfoy," she gasped as the brown-haired Draco made their way to them. What struck Ginny was that Draco was wearing a smile on his face. However, his smile soon disappeared upon seeing Ginny.

"Weasley," he said. Ginny glared at him before turning back to Hermione, who was slowly shrinking in her seat.

"Hermione, _please _tell me that this boy is _not _who I think he is," she said, though she was well aware who he was considering how he said her name. Draco scoffed.

"So what now Granger? Are you going to bring the other Weasley and Potter with you tomorrow?" he drawled. Hermione glared at him, then stood up.

"Draco, can I speak to you in the back _please?_" she asked, and before Draco could say anything, Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him to the back of the restaurant.

Looking back at the two as they disappeared inside the restaurant's doors, Ginny was more confused than ever. What is Draco doing here, and why is his hair brown instead of the usual platinum blonde? Why is Draco working at a muggle restaurant? When did he suddenly start speaking to Hermione without insulting her? When did Hermione start calling Draco by his first name?

And more importantly… _Why _did she think he was good looking?

"I'm so confused," Ginny mumbled, rubbing her temples. When she heard the doors at the back of the restaurant open once more, she looked up to see Hermione dragging a now reluctant Draco towards their table.

Ginny watched as Hermione slid back into the booth across from her, still holding on to Draco as he followed suit. Ginny crossed her arms and stared hard at the two.

"Is anyone going to explain to me _what's going on here?_" she demanded, her eyes narrowing at the two. Hermione glanced at Draco (who narrowed his own eyes at Ginny) before speaking.

"Draco and I have agreed to forget about our… _differences_… in order to be able to work together here at Open House," she said. Draco said nothing, choosing instead to continue glaring at Ginny. Ginny, however, was even more confused.

"But _why_ is he _working _here?" she asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Draco snapped. Ginny glared at him, all thoughts of him being good looking gone.

"Hermione?" she asked. Hermione sank on her seat.

"I'm sorry Ginny," was all she said. Ginny's jaw dropped.

"I cannot believe this!" she exclaimed. Hermione winced.

"Ginny —" Hermione began, but Ginny cut her off.

"I _cannot _believe that you're actually covering up for this wanker!" she continued, pointing at Draco.

"Hey!" Draco exclaimed, but anything else he was planning to say was drowned by Ginny.

"Did he put you under the Imperius Curse, Hermione? Because if he did, you have to fight it!" she hissed. Across from her, Draco was turning red. Hermione looked like she was ready to hit her head on the table.

"You can't just let him take advantage of you like that Hermione! You of all people wouldn't take that from anyone, least of all _Malfoy_," Ginny spat. This finally snapped Draco.

"Listen here Weasley; when Hermione said that my business here is none of _your _business, it's because she's kept her word about it to me. I didn't bloody put her under the Imperius Curse, you silly girl, and, as a matter of fact, since I've asked her not to say anything to you about _my _business, she's asked me to be civilized to you," he retorted. Seeing Ginny's jaw drop, he scoffed.

"But you're making it bloody hard to keep my promise because you're loud, obnoxious and narrow-minded, just like your brothers," he snarled. Ginny's eyes blazed.

"You take that back ferret face or I'll – "

"Enough!" Hermione exclaimed, cutting off the heated argument between Ginny and Draco. Ginny didn't even realize that she was almost inches from Draco's face and withdrew, her face flushed. Though from their argument or for being so close to Draco, she couldn't really tell.

"Ginny, Draco and I have become friends, not only because we work together but because I happen to enjoy his company. Now if you're going to stay with me, you're going to have to be civilized to Draco whether you like it or not. And if not, you're welcome to go back to The Burrow," Hermione said. For the millionth time that day, Ginny's jaw dropped once more.

"Does Harry and Ron know about your _friendship _with Draco?" she snapped. Hermione winced again.

"No, and I'd appreciate it if I can tell them myself," she replied. Hermione then turned to Draco, who went back to glaring at Ginny.

"Draco, this isn't really trying to be civilized to Ginny," she said. Draco's jaw dropped as well.

"But Hermione – "

"You promised Draco," Hermione cut him off. Draco grunted, but said nothing after that. Hermione turned back to Ginny.

"I was going to tell you about Draco," Hermione said, her tone softer. Ginny remained silent as she listened to Hermione explain her side of the story.

"But I wanted you to see everything all on your own; I guess that wasn't the best way to go on about it," she said. Ginny smiled softly at her friend's dejected posture.

"It's okay Hermione. I might've overreacted a little bit –" Draco snorted, but Ginny chose to ignore it, "– but I guess you just caught me off guard." Hermione smiled sheepishly.

"So you're okay with me being friends with Draco?" she asked, hope shining in her eyes. Ginny glanced back at Draco, who's now staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"Well, all things considered, yes," she finally said. Hermione beamed. They were interrupted from any further conversation, however, when Amy came to their table with their food.

--

Despite the rocky beginning, Ginny was rather enjoying herself as she spent the day with Hermione and Draco. Of course, Hermione was too busy waiting tables, so Ginny spent her day helping Hermione (while Hermione muttered instructions for her to follow) or simply sitting at the bar and watching Draco expertly mix drinks for the customers.

"How'd you learn to do that without you-know-what?" she asked as she watched Draco mixing a drink and expertly placing them in a fancy-looking glass without spilling anything. Draco smirked.

"It's all thanks to Hermione," he said as he took another order, barely glancing at it before getting to work once more. Ginny couldn't help but watch his hands as it mixed drink after drink.

_They look so soft…_ Ginny thought absently.

"She taught me everything, even though she gave me a booklet with step-by-step instructions on all the drinks," Draco continued, unaware of Ginny's absent stare. Finally catching herself, Ginny blinked, wondering what got into her to stare at Draco's hands like that.

"Well she isn't the smartest witch for nothing," she muttered, but loud enough for Draco to hear.

"And the best dance partner," Draco replied. Ginny raised an eyebrow at this.

"Sorry?" she said. Draco froze, almost spilling his mixed drink onto the counter. Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"What did you say?" she asked. She was astonished to see pink tinges appearing on Draco's face, but before Draco could say anything more, Hermione appeared, looking flustered.

"Draco, I need two lemon iced tea, two soft drinks, a bottle of beer and five shots of tequila. I have absolutely no bloody idea why they would want to be drinking at this time of the day, but I need them now!" she exclaimed, causing Draco to jolt out of his previous outburst and began making drinks once more. Ginny turned to Hermione, who was grinning at her.

"Since when did you dance?" she asked. Hermione blinked, then began to look even more flustered.

"Y-you see… Ginny – Seamus—" Hermione stammered. Ginny groaned, feeling her headache coming back.

"Hermione, no more surprises and spit it out!" she exclaimed. At that moment, someone caught Ginny's eye. She looked past Hermione to see a familiar person coming towards them. Ginny's eyes widened as she recognized the all-too familiar sandy hair as the said person grabbed a still-shocked Hermione, twirled her expertly and dipped her before bringing her back up, placing a soft kiss on Hermione's cheek.

Ginny stood up, her jaw finally falling all the way to the floor.

"Seamus Finnegan?!"

--

_Like I said, this chapter doesn't do the last chapter any justice, but wait until you guys get to read chapter 7! (goes on starry-eye mode) All I can tell you about that chapter is that I make good Dramione chemistry. lol_

_Speaking of which, I suddenly realized that Draco is one of the characters that I can easily write about, and I'm slowly beginning to form a Draco-esque fanfic that will most likely include a Harry/Hermione/Draco love triangle. I'm still thinking about it though. And if I were to _REALLY _make it interesting, I'd probably throw in Ginny in that little love triangle as well. (cackles evilly)._

_Also, I've been obsessing like CRAZY about the Twilight Trilogy by Stephenie Meyer, and it got me thinking: how would you guys feel if I were to make a vampire-esque fanfic about Harry/Hermione? Personally, I can't see myself dealing with a vampire!Harry/Hermione fanfic, but maybe if I were to play my cards right…_

_Anyway, these are all just little bits of ideas hitting me around the head. But before I get to them, please R&R! No matter how HORRIBLE I think this chapter is. I'd still appreciate it._

_And to everyone: thanks for sticking by me with this fanfic. I know I've been slow in uploading my chapters, but I'm getting to them, I promise!_


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